Author: CNN

CNN
 — 

As President Joe Biden scored several legislative wins this year, voters across the country headed to the polls in November to decide on local measures.

The passage of several of those measures will lead to new state laws this year. And Americans in 2023 will also feel the impact of several provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that was enacted over the summer.

Here are some of the state and federal measures set to take effect in 2023.

Nearly half of all US states will increase their minimum wages in 2023.

The hike went into effect in the following states on January 1: Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Washington.

Minimum-wage workers in Connecticut will have to wait until June 1 to see the increase, while the change goes into effect in Nevada and Florida on July 1 and September 30, respectively. The hike went into effect in New York on Saturday for workers outside New York City, Long Island and Westchester County.

Of all states, Washington state has the highest minimum wage at $15.74, up from $14.49, followed by California, which now has a minimum wage of $15.50 for all workers, up from $14 for employers with 25 or less employees and $15 for employers with 26 or more employees.

However, Washington, DC, continues to have the highest minimum wage in the country. The increase from $16.10 to $16.50 went into effect Sunday and another hike to $17 is set for July 1.

The push for a higher wage across the country comes as the federal minimum wage has remained the same since 2009, the longest period without change since a minimum wage was established in 1938, according to the Department of Labor.

Efforts by Democrats to pass a $15 minimum wage bill stalled in the Senate in 2021.

Five states – Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota – had recreational marijuana on the ballot in the November midterm elections, and voters in Maryland and Missouri approved personal use for those 21 and older.

While legalization has taken effect in Missouri with an amendment to the state constitution, the Maryland law goes into effect on July 1.

The law will also allow those previously convicted of cannabis possession and intent to distribute to apply for record expungement.

Starting January 1, the amount of cannabis a person can possess in Maryland for a fine instead of a criminal penalty increases – from just over a third of an ounce, or 10 grams, to 2.5 ounces.

One of the most significant victories for Biden in 2022 was the Inflation Reduction Act, a $750 billion health care, tax and climate bill, which he signed into law in August.

As part of the legislation, the price of insulin for Medicare beneficiaries will be capped at $35 starting January 1.

About 3.3 million Medicare beneficiaries used insulin in 2020 and spent an average of $54 per insulin prescription the same year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The cap does not apply to those with private insurance coverage after Senate Democrats failed to get at least 10 Republican votes to pass the broader provision.

There will be changes to the tax credits for those with electric vehicles, also thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.

The new rule stresses the use of vehicles that were made in North America, requiring much of their battery components and final assembly to be in the continent to be eligible for tax credits. It also mandates at least 40% of the minerals used for the battery to be extracted from the United States or a country that has free trade with the US.

Upon meeting the requirements, new vehicles are eligible for a tax credit of up to $7,500.

Those purchasing used electric vehicles can receive up to $4,000 in credits but it may not exceed 30% of the vehicle’s sale price.

Initially, buyers who purchase vehicles in 2023 will need to wait to receive the tax credit when they file their tax returns for the year in 2024. But starting on January 1, 2024, electric vehicle buyers will be able to receive the money immediately, at the point of sale, if they agree to transfer the credit to their dealership.

Seoul, South Korea
CNN
 — 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is calling for an “exponential increase” in his country’s nuclear weapons arsenal in response to what he claims are threats from South Korea and the United States, Pyongyang’s state media reported Sunday.

Kim’s comments come as North Korea twice over the weekend tested what it claimed was a large, nuclear-capable, multiple-launch rocket system that could put all of South Korea in its range, according to a report from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Speaking on New Year’s Eve on the final day of a six-day plenary session that reviewed 2022, Kim said South Korea has become an “undoubted enemy” and its main ally, the US, has increased pressure on the North to the “maximum” level over the past year by frequently deploying its military assets to the Korean Peninsula.

In response, Kim said in the coming year that Pyonyang must mass produce tactical nuclear weapons while developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that would give the North a “quick counterstrike capability,” according to the KCNA report.

Kim’s comments come at the end of a year that saw his regime test more missiles than at any time in North Korean history, including an ICBM that could in theory strike the US mainland.

On Saturday, in its 37th day of missile tests in 2022, North Korea fired at least three short-range ballistic missiles from a site south of Pyongyang, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It followed that early Sunday with another test. North Korea said both Saturday’s and Sunday’s tests were of a 600mm multiple-launch rocket (MRL) system. Most multiple-rocket launch systems in service around the world are around 300mm in size.

The 600mm MRL was first introduced three years ago, and production has been increased since late October of 2022 for deployment, Kim said in his speech to the plenary session on Saturday, according to KCNA. He later added that an additional 30 of the 600mm MRL will be deployed to the military simultaneously.

Kim said the weapon is capable of overcoming high landforms, can consecutively strike with precision, has all of South Korea in its shooting range and can be loaded with tactical nuclear warheads, according to the KCNA report.

“Prospectively, as a key offensive weapon of our military forces, it will carry out its own combat mission to overwhelm the enemy,” Kim said.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry later responded to Kim’s comments, calling them “provocative language that seriously harms peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.”

The ministry urged Pyongyang to “immediately stop” developing nuclear weapons and return to the path of denuclearization, warning that the “Kim Jong Un regime will come to an end if North Korea attempts to use nuclear weapons.”

The ministry vowed to maintain its military readiness posture to “firmly respond” to any North Korean threats, adding that the military will strengthen its “three-axis” defense system designed to counter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

The three-axis defense system consists of the Kill Chain preemptive strike system, the Korea Air and Missile Defense system and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation plan, an operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Sunday during a phone call with military chiefs that North Korea will continue to conduct constant nuclear and missile provocations, and South Korea’s military should respond with clear retaliation, his office said.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said Pyongyang has used the past year to demonstrate its ability to perform a range of military strikes.

“Its recent missile launches were not technically impressive. Instead, the high volume of tests at unusual times and from various locations demonstrate that North Korea could launch different types of attack, anytime, and from many directions,” Easley said.

Easley also noted that it’s not just missiles that North Korea is using to up the military pressure on the South. Last week, Pyongyang flew five drones into South Korean airspace, forcing Seoul to scramble fighter jets and helicopters to track them and later to send its own drones into North Korean airspace.

It all leads to an escalation of tensions, according to Easley.

“Such provocations, including drone incursions, appear excessive for deterrence and may be intended to scare South Korea into taking a softer policy. But with Kim disavowing diplomacy and threatening to mass produce nuclear weapons, the Yoon administration is likely to further increase South Korea’s defense capabilities and readiness,” Easley said.

For its part, South Korea is beefing up forces, too.

Seoul’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced last month it will spend more than $2.7 billion over 10 years to strengthen the mission capabilities and survivability of its fleet of F-15K fighters, jets that would play a key role in any possible strikes on North Korea.

Washington is also not standing still. As well as deploying assets like F-22 fighters and B-1 bombers to the exercises around the Korean Peninsula, the US military recently activated its first Space Force command on foreign soil in South Korea, with the unit’s new commander saying he is ready to face any threat in the region.

The new unit “will be tasked with coordinating space operations and services such as missile warning, position navigation and timing and satellite communications within the region,” according to US Forces Korea.

Even before Kim’s latest remarks, experts had noted the big strides Pyongyang had made in its missile forces over the past year.

Ankit Panda, a nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told CNN in mid-December that Pyongyang has emerged as a missile power.

“The bigger picture is that North Korea is literally turning into a prominent operator of large-scale missile forces,” Panda said. “The word test is no longer appropriate to talk about most North Korean missile launches.”

“Most of the missiles they’ve launched this year are parts of military exercises. They are rehearsing for nuclear war. And that, I think, is the big picture this year,” Panda said.

CNN
 — 

Heavy precipitation and snow melt flooded roads and led to freeway closures and evacuation warnings in Northern California on Saturday, officials said.

At one point, US Highway 101 – one of California’s most famous routes – was closed in both directions in South San Francisco as “water is not receding due to non-stop rainfall & high tides preventing the water to displace,” California Highway Patrol said in an evening update. The freeway reopened later Saturday evening after flood waters receded, CHP said.

Authorities were also working to rescue submerged vehicles from the highway after some had chosen to drive through the closures, the agency said.

The California Department of Transportation also advised of a partial closure of Interstate 80 near the Nevada line midday Saturday “due to multiple spinouts over Donner Summit.” Driving through the mountain pass in the Sierra Nevada range has required tire chains for much of this month due to heavy snowfall.

In Sacramento County and adjacent areas, residents were advised to avoid travel as wind gusts of up to 55 mph toppled trees and covered roads with debris, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

A strong storm that brought widespread heavy rain Friday through Saturday, creating a flood threat for much of Northern and Central California, is nearing unprecedented levels.

By Saturday evening, San Francisco was closing in on breaking the city’s record for single wettest day ever.

“Downtown San Francisco is now at 5.45 inches, just 9 hundredths of an inch away from the daily (midnight to midnight) record of 5.54 inches,” the National Weather Service said in a 5 p.m. update on Twitter.

And meanwhile, an active jet stream pattern also brought a parade of storms fueled by an atmospheric river of Pacific moisture.

An atmospheric river is a long, narrow region in the atmosphere which can transport moisture thousands of miles, like a fire hose in the sky. This heavy rainfall will slide southward to Southern California on Saturday and Sunday, accompanied by gusty winds of 30 to 50 mph.

Several small communities in northern California were under evacuation orders and warnings Saturday due to flooding. Three communities near the city of Watsonville were told to evacuate by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office due to creek flooding, while officials ordered the communities of Paradise Park and Felton to evacuate due to rising levels of the San Lorenzo River.

Neighborhoods near the Santa Rita Creek in Monterey County were put under a warning Saturday afternoon because of concerns the creek “will spill over its banks,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Evacuations from the floodwaters were being conducted Saturday with the help of an armored rescue vehicle in south San Ramon.

Residents in the community of Wilton, roughly 20 miles from Sacramento, were ordered to shelter in place due to the rains and floods.

“Rising water has made roads impassable in the area,” Sacramento County officials said on Facebook, urging those who were already on the road to head to safety and those who were home to “stay at home.”

The county on Saturday issued a proclamation of local state of emergency for the winter storms, saying the atmospheric river it’s been experiencing has caused “significant transportation impacts, rising creek and river levels and flooding” in the Wilton area.

A flood watch for more than 16 million is in effect including the entire Bay Area and Central Valley though Saturday night. Rain could ease Saturday evening before the calendar turns to 2023.

Earlier weather predictions said widespread rainfall accumulations of 2 to 4 inches are expected in northern and central California, but locally higher amounts of 5 to 7 inches are also possible for the foothills.

Northern California and the central California coast have already received 2 to 4 inches of rain in the last week. The cumulative effect of multiple Pacific storm systems laden with moisture from a potent atmospheric river will make impacts such as flash floods and landslides more likely.

Videos and photos shared by the National Weather Service in San Francisco show fallen trees blocking roadways, and multiple landslides.

In Oakland, local officials urged people to stay off the roads due to the heavy rain and flooding.

“If you have to travel, use caution. City crews are working through a backlog of reports of flooding and other weather impacts,” the city posted on Twitter.

New York
CNN
 — 

Singles are ditching pricey white tablecloth meals for romance in the park or on a walk instead.

The high cost of dining out and changes to dating habits during the pandemic have driven singles to seek out more affordable, casual first dates.

Singles are spending $130 a month on dates, up 40% from the past decade, according to an annual survey of 5,000 singles funded by Match

(MTCH), the owner of Tinder, Hinge and Plenty of Fish.

Eighty-four percent of singles say they now prefer a casual first date, according to the survey. Thirty percent say they are now more open to doing free activities, while 29% want to go on dates closer to home to save on gas. Home-cooked meals, coffee or drinks and other low-cost dates are also becoming more appealing.

“Singles, more than ever, are open to free dates,” Rachel DeAlto, Match’s chief dating expert, said in an interview. “They are mindful of the time, energy and money that they’re spending on those initial encounters.”

Nearly half of single Millennials and Gen Z have suggested going on a less expensive, more budget-friendly date, according to a Plenty of Fish survey of more than 8,000 users. The app called this trend “infla-dating” – going on less expensive dates due to higher prices.

Covid-19 restrictions also changed dating habits.

People learned to embrace free dates and outdoor encounters like walks or picnics in 2020.

“The parks became the hot date spot,” DeAlto said. “This was a great way to meet people without the extra money and time.”

Video first dates also became more popular during the pandemic, a trend that has stuck around. People are still using video calls to vet potential candidates to ensure they are worth the time and money in person.

Prior to the pandemic, around 8% of people were open to a video date before meeting in person, according to Match. That number has jumped to 37%.

Match, Bumble and other dating companies have seen consumers make changes on their apps as inflation and the uncertain state of the US economy take a toll on their finances.

People are still signing up for paid subscriptions, but they are not buying as many profile boosters on the apps and other one-time purchases to try to get more “likes,” say the companies and analysts.

“Our younger users are more susceptible. If you have your first job out of school and you’re reading a lot about layoffs, you tend to get a little more nervous,” Match chief operating officer Gary Swidler said at a conference earlier this month. “Less affluent people are being more careful.”

People still want to date, he said, but they are making adjustments.

“I don’t think that we’ll see people fully pull back on dating, but they might kind of nip and tuck here and there.”

Kristin Moss, 28, who works at online charity connecter DealAid, said inflation has “made me more picky in terms of where and who I would go on dates with.”

She always checks menu prices before going on dates now and doesn’t frequent bars as often because “$15 to $20 per drink can add up quickly.”

When gas prices spiked this summer, she didn’t want to drive more than 20 minutes from her home on a first date.

“Location and cost of first dates matter more now than they have in the last few years,” she said. “Why should I spend extra time and money just to go on a date that might end poorly?”

CNN
 — 

Boulder, Colorado, has closed its main public library due to methamphetamine contamination in the facility’s bathrooms and some seating areas, city officials say.

The library first closed on December 20 after “higher than acceptable methamphetamine levels were found in restroom air ducts,” according to a news release from the City of Boulder.

The city closed the library “out of an abundance of caution” and to conduct environmental testing, according to the release. Testing found meth residue inside airducts in the main library’s bathrooms. The testing was ordered based on “a spike in reports of individuals smoking in public restrooms over the past four weeks,” according to the release.

“This is truly a sad situation and represents the impact of a widespread epidemic in our country,” said library director David Farnan in the release. “The city is consulting with Boulder County Public Health officials and will take all steps necessary to prioritize safety. We are committed to transparency and appropriate remediation.”

Further testing confirmed that contamination was almost entirely limited to the public-facing bathrooms and “on the surfaces of the exhaust ducts in these enclosed spaces,” the city said in a December 28 news release.

In addition to contamination in the bathroom, there is also “a limited amount of surface contamination in a few discrete locations in highly trafficked seating areas in the south portion of the building,” according to the release.

The earliest the library could reopen to the public is January 3, according to the release. The city is still waiting on a final report from the environmental testing before city and health department officials will meet to discuss next steps. The city plans to release the exact test results within the next week, the release says. Several other library branches remain open.

The restrooms and seating areas affected will have to undergo “professional remediation” before they are made accessible to the public again, according to the release. The seating areas may be repurposed with furniture that can be cleaned regularly.

“It is not yet clear if, and when, public restrooms will be brought back,” the city said in the release.

Meth contamination usually occurs when individuals touch residue on surfaces directly, according to the release. The city noted that meth contamination regulations were developed particularly for contexts where continual exposure is likely, such as in buildings where people are manufacturing meth, not just using it.

“Episodic exposures, such as in public buildings, present much less threat to health,” the city said in the release.

2021 saw an increase in the number of deaths from methamphetamine usage in the United States, according to data from the CDC.

CNN
 — 

Northern California was inundated with widespread flooding and power outages as a powerful atmospheric river barreled into the region, forcing water rescues, several highway closures, evacuation warnings and shelter-in-place orders.

Despite the issues, the moisture is a bit of relief for drought-stricken California, which saw the driest beginning of the year on record and ended 2022 with drenched roadways, flooding rivers and thick mountain snow.

How much the parade of storms will make a dent in California’s drought conditions, however, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile the storm, which also brought strong winds, knocked out power to more than 300,000 homes and businesses across California and Nevada as of early Sunday, according to Poweroutage.US.

And as streets flooded and river water levels rose, the storm also forced residents of several small communities in northern California out of their homes on New Year’s Eve as evacuation orders and warnings were issued.

On top of urban flooding, several rivers began overflowing, including the Cosumnes and Mokelumne rivers and the Mormon Slough, according to the National Weather Service in Sacramento. Flood warnings were issued for the southern Sacramento Valley and Sierra foothills.

At one point Saturday, officials ordered residents in Wilton – roughly 20 miles from Sacramento – to leave the area immediately, warning that rising water may spill over onto roadways and cut off access to leave the area. Just about two hours later, Wilton residents were told to shelter in place after water made roads “impassable.”

Three communities near the city of Watsonville were also told to evacuate by the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office due to creek flooding, while the rising San Lorenzo River waters prompted evacuations in the communities of Paradise Park and Felton.

In San Ramon, police used an armored rescue vehicle to evacuate residents from floodwaters.

“Flooding impacts continue to escalate as this rain continues with too many road closures to count at this point,” NWS said Saturday, telling residents to stay put amid reports of rock and mudslides across the foothills and road closures across the Sierra passes.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District crews were kept busy on Saturday, performing water rescues and responding to fallen trees on homes and cars, and to drivers whose vehicles became disabled after they drove through standing water, officials said.

Calling it “Stormageddon,” the Amador County Sheriff’s Office shared an image of cars up to their doorhandles in floodwaters and said there’s been reports of flooding, mudslides and trees blocking roadways.

Highway 50 was reopened just after midnight, hours after a section between Pollock Pines and Meyers was closed due to flooding from the American River, while another section was closed over Echo Summit for avalanche control work.

Interstate 80 was also partially closed near the Nevada line midday Saturday “due to multiple spinouts over Donner Summit,” according to the California Department of Transportation.

US Highway 101 – one of California’s most famous routes – was also temporarily closed in both directions in South San Francisco with California Highway Patrol reporting “water is not receding due to non-stop rainfall & high tides preventing the water to displace.”

In Sacramento County and adjacent areas, residents were advised to avoid travel as wind gusts of up to 55 mph toppled trees and covered roads with debris, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service in Sacramento.

The county proclaimed a state of emergency, saying the atmospheric river has caused “significant transportation impacts, rising creek and river levels and flooding” in the Wilton area.

An atmospheric river is a long, narrow region in the atmosphere which can transport moisture thousands of miles, like a fire hose in the sky.

Downtown San Francisco received 5.46 inches Saturday, meaning it was on track to become the second wettest day on record for the area, according to the National Weather Service in the Bay Area.

This heavy rainfall is expected to slide southward to Southern California on Saturday and Sunday, accompanied by gusty winds of 30 to 50 mph.

As some parts of Northern California deal with heavy rainfall, mountain areas have received thick snowfall accumulations.

A winter storm warning is in effect until 4 a.m. Sunday in the Sierra Nevada mountains from Yosemite National Park to Tulare County, where the Weather Service warned travel could be very difficult to impossible.

Snow accumulations of 1 to 2 feet were expected above 7,000 feet, and isolated accumulations of 5 feet were possible above 9,000 feet, the Weather Service said.

The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab reported 7.5 inches of snow per hour between 4 and 5 p.m. Saturday in Soda Springs, about 30 miles from Lake Tahoe, sharing video of thick snow blanketing the area.

The lab said it had unofficial measurements of more than 30 inches of snow on Saturday.

Over a foot of new snow fell at Mammoth Mountain’s Main Lodge Saturday, the ski resort said on Facebook, adding that work will take place across the mountain since all lifts were coated in ice and “avalanche danger is extremely high.”

At the Nevada State line and Colfax, CHP reported “dangerous and treacherous” driving conditions with dozens of vehicles stuck on the I-80 and county roads.

“Caltrans, CHP and tow operators spent New Year’s Eve pulling out dozens of stranded vehicles,” the California Department of Transportation said.

CNN
 — 

Three New York City police officers are in stable condition after being struck by a man wielding a machete in an unprovoked attack near Times Square, according to the NYPD commissioner.

The attack occurred just after 10 p.m. Saturday on West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, outside a Times Square New Year’s Eve security screening zone, Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.

The suspect, identified only as a 19-year-old man, approached an officer and attempted to strike him over the head with a machete, Sewell said. The suspect then struck two additional officers before one fired his service weapon, striking the suspect in the shoulder. The suspect is being treated for his injuries, Sewell said.

The FBI, NYPD and Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating, officials said in an early New Year’s Day joint news conference.

“I want to be very clear … there is no ongoing threat,” said Mike Driscoll, the FBI assistant director in charge of the New York field office.

“We believe this was a sole individual at this time,” he said, adding, “There is nothing to indicate otherwise.”

One officer, a recent graduate of the police academy, suffered a skull fracture and a large laceration to his head, Sewell said. Another officer, an 8-year veteran, suffered a laceration, the commissioner said. She did not elaborate on injuries to the third officer.

Driscoll said the FBI, through the task force, is working closely with NYPD to determine the nature of the attack and “will run every lead to the ground.”

The authorities did not elaborate on a possible motive and said the investigation is in preliminary stages.

New York Mayor Eric Adams praised the police response, saying responding officers immediately secured the scene and acted “with a level of professionalism that we expect from all of our officers.”

After getting their fellow officers assistance and subduing the suspect, responding officers returned to their posts “because we still had a city we had to protect,” Adams said, referencing New Year’s Eve celebrations.

CNN
 — 

Pope Francis led tributes to his predecessor on Saturday, after Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI died in a monastery in the Vatican at the age of 95.

“We are moved as we recall him as such a noble person, so kind and we feel such gratitude in our hearts, gratitude to god for giving him to the church, and to the world,” Francis said in Saint Peter’s Basilica while leading traditional vespers ceremony ahead of New Year’s Day.

“Gratitude to him for all the good he accomplished and above all for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his life. Only God knows the value of his sacrifices for the good of the church,” Francis added.

Benedict, who was the first pontiff in almost 600 years to resign his position, rather than hold office for life, passed away on Saturday, according to a statement from the Vatican.

“With sorrow I inform you that the Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, passed away today at 9:34 in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in the Vatican,” the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni said.

Francis went to see Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI soon after he passed away Saturday morning, according to Bruni.

The funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be held on Thursday in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican City at 9:30 a.m. local time, Bruni said. The funeral will be led by Pope Francis.

The former pope’s body will lie in state in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican from Monday for the faithful to bid farewell, Vatican News reported. As per the wish of Pope Emeritus, his funeral will be “simple,” Bruni said.

News of Benedict’s death came days after Pope Francis asked the faithful to pray for him, saying he was “very sick.”

His health had been in decline for some time.

Benedict stunned the Catholic faithful and religious experts around the world on February 11, 2013, when he announced plans to step down from his position as Pope, citing his “advanced age.”

In his farewell address, the outgoing pope promised to stay “hidden” from the world, but he continued to speak out on religious matters in the years following his retirement, contributing to tensions within the Catholic Church.

Benedict was a powerful force in the Catholic Church for decades. Born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany in 1927, he was the son of a policeman. He was ordained as a priest in 1951, made a cardinal in 1977, and later served as chief theological adviser to Pope John Paul II.

One of his most significant steps up came in 1981 when he took over as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, the Vatican office that oversees “the doctrine on the faith and morals throughout the Catholic world,” according to the Vatican.

Ratzinger became known as “Cardinal No” stemming from his efforts to crack down on the liberation theology movement, religious pluralism, challenges to traditional teachings on issues such as homosexuality, and calls to ordain women as priests.

He was elected pope in April 2005, following John Paul II’s death.

He was known to be more conservative than his successor, Pope Francis, who has made moves to soften the Vatican’s position on abortion and homosexuality, as well as doing more to deal with the sexual abuse crisis that has engulfed the church in recent years and clouded Benedict’s legacy.

In April 2019, Benedict discussed the sex abuse crisis in a public letter, claiming that it was caused in part by the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the liberalization of the church’s moral teachings.

In January 2020, Benedict was forced to distance himself from a book widely seen as undercutting Francis as he considered whether or not to allow married men to become priests in certain cases. The book, “From the Depths of Our Hearts,” argued in favor of the centuries-old tradition of priestly celibacy within the Catholic Church. Benedict was originally listed as co-author, but later clarified that he had only contributed one section of the text.

A year later, Benedict came under fire over his time as archbishop of Munich and Freising, between 1977 and 1982, following the publication of a Church-commissioned report into abuse by Catholic clergy there.

The report found that while in the post he had been informed of four cases of sexual abuse involving minors – including two that had occurred during his time in office – but failed to act. It also revealed Benedict had attended a meeting about an abuser identified as Priest X. Following the report’s publication, Benedict pushed back against accusations that he knew in 1980 that this priest was an abuser.

In a letter released by the Vatican amid the furor, Benedict wrote that he was “of good cheer” as he faced “the final judge of my life,” despite his shortcomings. He also issued a general apology to survivors of abuse.

Global leaders paid homage to the former pope, following his death. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England, said he is “mourning” the former pope.

“Pope Benedict was one of the greatest theologians of his age – committed to the faith of the Church and stalwart in its defence,” Welby said in a statement Saturday.

“In all things, not least in his writing and his preaching, he looked to Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God. It was abundantly clear that Christ was the root of his thought and the basis of his prayer.

“In 2013 Pope Benedict took the courageous and humble step to resign the papacy, the first Pope to do so since the fifteenth century. In making this choice freely he acknowledged the human frailty that affects us all,” he added.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, said he will remember the former pope with “love and gratitude.”

“Saddened to learn of the demise of His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola tweeted Saturday.

“Europe mourns him. May he rest in peace.”

The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, on Saturday told Pope Francis he had received news of Benedict’s passing with “sorrow,” according to the message shared on the official website of the Moscow Patriarchate.

“His Holiness’s many years of life marked a whole epoch in the history of the Roman Catholic Church, which he led in a difficult historical period, associated with many external and internal challenges,” Kirill said of Benedict.

Kirill added relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church had “developed significantly” during Benedict’s tenure, in an effort to “overcome the sometimes-painful legacy of the past.”

“On behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church, I express my condolences to you and the flock of the Roman Catholic Church,” he continued.

The Dalai Lama on Sunday offered his condolences to the members of the Catholic Church after Benedict’s death.

“I pray for our spiritual brother,” he wrote, “and offer my condolences to the members of the Catholic Church.”

“At a time when we are seeing tension in several parts of the world, we can take a lesson from the life of Pope Benedict and do what we can to contribute to religious harmony and global peace.”

US President Joe Biden said the late pontiff “will be remembered as a renowned theologian, with a lifetime of devotion to the Church, guided by his principles and faith.”

Biden, the second Catholic to serve as President of the United States, reflected on his meeting with Benedict at the Vatican in 2011, saying he remembered “his generosity and welcome as well as our meaningful conversation.”

“As he remarked during his 2008 visit to the White House, ‘the need for global solidarity is as urgent as ever, if all people are to live in a way worthy of their dignity.’ May his focus on the ministry of charity continue to be an inspiration to us all,” Biden added.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute. “I am saddened to learn of the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” Sunak tweeted Saturday.

“He was a great theologian whose UK visit in 2010 was an historic moment for both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout our country.

Italy’s new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced her admiration for the former pope. “Benedict XVI was a giant of faith and reason. He put his life at the service of the universal Church and spoke, and will continue to speak, to the hearts and minds of men with the spiritual, cultural and intellectual depth of his Magisterium,” she tweeted Saturday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is leading Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, called the former pope “a staunch defender of traditional Christian values.”

CNN
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The man arrested in connection with the November killings of four University of Idaho students who were found stabbed to death attended a nearby university in Washington state and traveled across the country in December to spend the holidays with his parents.

Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, was arrested in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, on Friday on an arrest warrant for first-degree murder charges issued by the Moscow, Idaho, Police Department and the Latah County Prosecutor’s Office, according to the criminal complaint.

The four slain students – Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, 20 – were each stabbed multiple times in the early morning hours of November 13 at an off-campus house in the small college town of Moscow.

Kohberger was apprehended at his parents’ house in Pennsylvania, where Kohberger went several days before Christmas, Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar told CNN. A white Elantra authorities had been looking for in connection with the killings was also at the parents’ house, the attorney added.

“He was home for the holidays,” LaBar said.

Kohberger’s father traveled with him from Washington state to Pennsylvania, according to the public defender and a person who claims to have interacted with the father and son earlier in December.

That person, who asked not to be identified, said they did not know the father and son but engaged in friendly conversation with them at an auto maintenance shop on December 16 in Pennsylvania, while the two were getting their Elantra serviced. (A separate person also confirmed to CNN the father and son did business at the location on December 16.)

The father told the individual he flew to Washington state and made the cross-country trip with Kohberger, adding his son would be traveling to the west coast alone after the holidays. Police have not indicated the suspect’s father is in any way implicated in the killings. CNN has attempted to contact the father for comment.

The person described the younger Kohberger as “a little awkward,” but not suspiciously so. The suspect reportedly told the person he wanted to go into the field of behavioral criminal justice and become a professor.

Kohberger is a graduate student at Washington State University’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, according to a now-removed university graduate directory, which was seen by CNN earlier Friday.

Kohberger had finished his first semester as a PhD student in the school’s criminal justice program earlier in December, the university said in a Friday statement.

Earlier that day, university police assisted authorities in executing search warrants at his office and apartment, both located on the school’s Pullman campus.

Pullman is about a 15-minute drive from Moscow, where the killings took place.

Kohberger intends to waive his extradition hearing to Idaho, set for January 3, to expedite his transport to the state, LaBar said, adding his client is “eager to be exonerated” of the charges.

Kohberger was previously an undergraduate and graduate student at DeSales University, according to a statement on the school’s website. DeSales is a Catholic university in Pennsylvania, according to its official Facebook page.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2020 and earlier this year completed his “graduate studies for the Master of Arts in criminal justice program,” according to a university spokesperson.

Kohberger’s attorney described his client as “very intelligent,” adding “he understands where we are right now.”

In a post removed from Reddit after the arrest was made public, a student investigator associated with a DeSales University study named Bryan Kohberger sought participation in a research project “to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.”

The post said, “In particular, this study seeks to understand the story behind your most recent criminal offense, with an emphasis on your thoughts and feelings throughout your experience.”

CNN reached one of the principal investigators of the study, a professor at DeSales University, but they declined to comment on the matter. The university has not responded to comment.

A spokesperson for Northampton Community College, also in Pennsylvania, confirmed Kohberger was a student there and graduated with an Associate of Arts and Psychology degree in 2018.

Earlier in December, authorities asked the public for information about a white 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantra they believed was in the “immediate area” of the crime scenes around the time of the killings.

After an overwhelming number of tips, investigators narrowed their focus to Kohberger by tracing ownership of the Elantra back to him, according to two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation.

His DNA also matched DNA recovered at the crime scene, according to the sources, who also explained authorities believed Kohberger left the area and went to Pennsylvania after the crime.

A surveillance team with the FBI tracked the suspect for several days in the area where he was arrested, the sources added.

One law enforcement source said Kohberger is believed to have driven across the country to his parents’ house in the Elantra. Authorities had also been surveilling his parents’ house, the source said.

Authorities kept Kohberger under surveillance while investigators from Moscow’s police department, the Idaho State Police and the FBI worked with prosecutors to develop sufficient probable cause for an arrest warrant.

The suspect’s family is “very shocked,” LaBar, the attorney, said, adding they are in “awe over everything that’s going on” and believed this was “out of character for Bryan.”

Authorities still want to hear from people who may be able to shed more light on Kohberger.

“This is not the end of this investigation, in fact, this is a new beginning,” Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said Friday. “You all now know the name of the person who has been charged with these offenses, please get that information out there, please ask the public, anyone who knows about this individual, to come forward.”

“Report anything you know about him, to help the investigators, and eventually our office and the court system, understand fully everything there is to know about not only the individual, but what happened and why,” Thompson added.

Authorities received roughly 400 calls in the hour after Kohberger’s arrest was announced, Moscow Police Chief James Fry said, adding he hopes tips will help investigators learn more about the suspect.

“We want information on that individual,” the chief told CNN. “We want that updated information so that we can start building that picture now. Every tip matters.”