(NEW YORK) — ESPN, Warner Discovery and Fox Sports announced Tuesday that they will partner to create a massive new streaming network dedicated to sports.
ESPN is owned by the Walt Disney Company, the parent company of ABC News.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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(WASHINGTON) — The House on Tuesday will vote on a Republican-led resolution to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border.
The articles of impeachment accuse Mayorkas, long the target of GOP attacks when it comes to immigration policy, of “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and “breach of public trust” amid a surge in unauthorized migrant crossings.
Mayorkas has vigorously defended himself and the department, calling the allegations “baseless” and insisting it won’t distract from their work. Democrats have contended the impeachment effort is unconstitutional and politically motivated.
A key question is whether the GOP will have the votes to pass it. Republicans have a razor-thin three-vote majority in the House, and two members of the conference have said they are against impeaching Mayorkas: Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado and Rep. Tom McClintock of California.
Lawmakers debated the impeachment resolution for just over two hours ahead of a vote set for later Tuesday.
Homeland Security Committee chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., defended the committee’s yearlong probe into Mayorkas and said his actions are responsible for a border crisis that Democrats have “turned a blind eye” to.
“His refusal to obey the law has led to the death of our fellow citizens. And he no longer deserves to keep his job,” Green said of Mayorkas as debate began.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s top Democrat, countered that the proceeding is a “sham.”
“House Republicans want to distort the Constitution and the secretary’s record to cover up their inability and unwillingness to work with Democrats to strengthen border security,” Thompson said. “It’s about Republican politics and subversion of the Constitution.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., suggested the GOP effort against Mayorkas has been to avenge former President Donald Trump, who was twice impeached by Democrats.
“Because when the puppet master Donald Trump says ‘jump,’ extreme MAGA Republicans respond, ‘How high?'” Jeffries said.
On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has been tapped as one of the Republican impeachment managers, said it’s Democrats who are “in a quandary.”
“Either they must own the policies of murder and crime of American citizens, or they can admit Secretary Mayorkas has broken federal laws and vote to impeach Secretary Mayorkas,” Greene said.
Earlier Tuesday, amid some speculation that GOP leaders could postpone or pull the measure due to vote numbers, Speaker Mike Johnson said they were forging ahead.
Asked if he had the votes, Johnson replied, “I think we will.”
One defector, Rep. Buck, explained why he is a no vote on impeachment in an op-ed published by The Hill on Monday. In it, he wrote he thinks Mayorkas will “most likely be remembered as the worst secretary of Homeland Security in the history of the United States” but didn’t believe his conduct amounted to the Constitution’s high bar of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”
McClintock announced his decision in a 10-page memo released Tuesday morning, in which he also criticized Mayorkas, but said the impeachment effort is “bad politics and bad policy.”
“The problem is that they fail to identify an impeachable crime that Mayorkas has committed,” McClintock wrote. “In effect, they stretch and distort the Constitution in order to hold the administration accountable for stretching and distorting the law.”
Asked for his reaction to those in his party advising against impeachment, Johnson said he respects “everyone’s view on it” but he believes it’s a necessary step.
“There is no measure for Congress to take but this one,” he said at a news conference alongside other GOP leaders. “It’s an extreme measure. We do not take it lightly. I respect the conscience of everyone and how they vote.”
If the House does vote to approve the resolution, it would mark just the second time in U.S. history a Cabinet official has been impeached. The issue would then go to trial in the Democrat-controlled Senate, where a two-thirds majority vote would be needed to convict.
The vote on whether to impeach Mayorkas coincides with a fierce debate over a new bipartisan bill that would amount to the first major overhaul of the immigration system in years.
The measure, the product of months of behind-the-scenes negotiations among a bipartisan group of senators, is supported by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and President Joe Biden.
Mayorkas, who played a role in negotiations, praised the bill as “tough, fair, and takes meaningful steps to address the challenges our country faces after decades of Congressional inaction.”
But House Republican leaders, led by Johnson, have already deemed it dead on arrival if it gets past the Senate. Former President Donald Trump, looking to make immigration a top issue in the 2024 campaign, has also come out strong against the bill, calling it “ridiculous” and a “trap” for Republicans.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., criticized Republicans on both impeachment and the border bill as the House Rules Committee met Monday to mark up the Mayorkas resolution.
“Are you seriously going to come here and look us in the eye with a straight face and claim this is all about the border when you refuse to come together with Democrats and work on the border?” McGovern said. “No, you’d all rather advance this baseless, extreme, unconstitutional impeachment stunt. It’s really something else.”
House Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., countered that Mayorkas was a “chief architect” of the border crisis and said the vote is about “accountability.”
“Secretary Mayorkas has refused to uphold his oath of office. If he will not do so, his duty, then unfortunately the House must do its constitutional duty,” Cole said during the markup.
The White House on Monday called the impeachment effort “unprecedented and unconstitutional.”
“Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas would trivialize this solemn constitutional power and invite more partisan abuse of this authority in the future,” according to a Statement of Administration Policy. “It would do nothing to solve the challenges we face in securing our Nation’s borders, nor would it provide the funding the President has repeatedly requested for more Border Patrol agents, immigration judges, and cutting-edge tools to detect and stop fentanyl at the border.”
ABC News’ Jay O’Brien and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday will take up a historic case that could decide whether Donald Trump is ineligible for the 2024 ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
The provision, ratified after the Civil War to keep insurrectionists out of government, has rarely been invoked over the past 150 years and never before applied to a candidate for president.
It reads: “No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath … as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same.”
Only Congress, it adds, can remove the disqualification by two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate. It does not spell out who gets to decide when someone has “engaged in insurrection” or how.
Last year, a group of four GOP and two unaffiliated voters sued Colorado’s secretary of state to keep Trump off the state’s GOP primary ballot, citing his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump’s conduct amounted to engaging in “insurrection” in violation of Section 3.
Trump is now appealing that decision to the nation’s high court.
Here’s how it’s expected each side will present their respective arguments to the justices:
Trump’s case: Section 3 does not apply to him
Section 3 refers to an “officer of the United States” and Trump was not one. There are two oaths in the Constitution and he took the presidential oath, which is different. Presidents appoint “officers” of the U.S. The president is not explicitly mentioned in the amendment.
Trump did not “engage in insurrection.” He has not been charged with acts of insurrection much less convicted of a crime. He “repeatedly called for peace, patriotism and law and order.” A failure to act on Jan. 6, as some have alleged, is not the same as engaging in the conduct.
Only Congress can enforce Section 3. The law doesn’t spell out who decides when someone has “engaged in insurrection.” Each state can’t veto candidates based on their own assessments.
Section 3 creates a prohibition from “holding office” — not running for office. States can’t decide new upfront qualifications for being president.
The Constitution’s electors clause says legislatures, not courts, should govern elections and evaluate candidate qualifications. Colorado law doesn’t require the secretary of state to do so.
Colorado courts violated state law. They did not hold a hearing within five days of the complaint against Trump as required (it was 54 days). The court did not deliver findings of fact within 48 hours as required (it was 12 days). Reliance on testimony of a sociology professor who said Trump had spoken in “coded” language was hearsay. Voters who sued the Colorado secretary of state don’t have standing because the secretary of state has no authority to vet candidate eligibility under state law.
Colorado voters’ case: Trump incited an insurrection and Section 3 applies
Trump’s words and deeds “were the factual cause of and a substantial contributing factor to the attack.” After a five-day hearing, the trial court found Trump “intentionally organized and incited” insurrection. Those findings are entitled substantial deference. Even though Trump himself wasn’t violent, there is precedent for incitement as “engagement.” The First Amendment doesn’t protect incitement.
The presidency is an “office of the United States” as covered by Section 3. The Constitution refers to the presidency as an “office” 20 times. The “of the U.S.” phrase is meant to distinguish a position from a state. Trump is splitting hairs.
States have authority under the electors clause to run presidential elections. State officials can make subjective determinations about eligibility of candidates. A U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in 2012 from then judge and now Justice Neil Gorsuch said states could exclude a naturalized citizen from a presidential ballot because he was “constitutionally prohibited.” States also have power to decide presidential electors on their own terms.
Trump forfeited an electors clause challenge because he didn’t raise it in earlier proceedings. The U.S. Supreme Court should defer to state court interpretation of state law. As for the state court delays — in violation of legally mandated deadlines for ballot challenges — Trump had asked for more time in the case.
History of Section 3. The provision of the 14th Amendment was enacted as a measure of self-defense, targeting leaders of the rebellion. It deprives them of qualification for office but nothing else. It was immediately enforced by state courts in 1868.
Notable amici (friend of the court) filings
The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee argues Colorado altered the qualifications for president and interfered with Congress’ sole prerogative to remove any Section 3 disqualification from a candidate. In effect, what Colorado has done is require that Congress address any alleged Section 3 disqualification before voters pick a candidate – but that is an error: Congress gets to decide when, and could do so after the election.
Colorado violates First Amendment rights of voters and political parties. It takes away a choice. There is no precedent for denying a candidate primary ballot access. The decision negates the possibility that between Election Day and Inauguration Day, a two-thirds vote of each chamber of Congress could cure Trump’s eligibility.
Colorado ignores precedent of “ineligible” candidates on the ballot becoming eligible by inauguration day when they “hold” office. See: Joe Biden running for Senate and winning at age 29 … turning 30 just before he was sworn in. Or, when Congress granted amnesty en masse to some former Confederates in 1867 who’d already won elections but not yet been seated.
The state court committed a clear error by directing the secretary of state to not list Trump on the ballot. In so doing, the court extended the Section 3 disability beyond “being” president to running for president. States cannot preemptively exclude candidates, interfering with Congress’ authority to decide whether or not to cure a Section 3 deficiency.
179 GOP members of Congress
The Colorado Supreme Court’s decision infringes on Congress’ powers. In part, they argue, because by allowing the enforcement of Section 3 without congressional authorization, candidates could face “abuse by state officials.” Colorado is also wrong because it deprives Congress the chance to remove a Section 3 “disability.”
Colorado’s definition of “engage in insurrection” is too malleable and expansive. The state court harbors a view that will lead to “widespread abuse of Section 3 against political opponents.”
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(WASHINGTON) — The Senate’s bipartisan border deal is teetering on collapse Tuesday as many Republicans say they will block the procedural vote set for later this week — a frustrating loss for the negotiators who spent months fine-tuning the bill.
“I can’t believe this is happening. This is unbelievable,” Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the lead negotiators of the bill, said in a Senate floor speech Tuesday.
Murphy and other senators worked for months to negotiate the terms of the $118.28 billion bipartisan national security supplemental package, the text of which was released Sunday night. By Monday night, it was on the brink of collapse as fellow negotiator Sen. James Lankford acknowledged it didn’t have the votes for it advance in the Senate in a procedural vote on Wednesday.
“What the hell just happened?” Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said on the floor.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a floor speech on Tuesday, said he would delay the vote — but was skeptical it would make a difference. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said flat out that the bill is going nowhere.
In a closed-door meeting that lasted nearly 90 minutes Monday night, Republicans debated the merits of the 370-page national security supplemental, and whether or not to provide the necessary 60 votes to get to floor consideration of the bill during a key procedural vote on Wednesday.
A good chunk of the Senate Republican conference opposes this bill because they object to the policies in it. At least 19 have issued statements stating as much.
But many Senate Republicans, including those moderates who would likely be necessary to getting 60 votes to proceed during the upcoming test vote, left the meeting saying they won’t greenlight moving it forward — not because of policy — but because they don’t believe they’ve had sufficient time to review the technically complex border provisions.
“I think it’s fair to say everybody thinks that, you know, voting Wednesday is voting too soon,” said Sen. John Thune, the Republican Whip. “I think there’s a very real concern that there hasn’t been adequate time. And I think the Wednesday vote is going to be for most our members too early.”
In floor remarks Tuesday, Schumer lambasted Republicans for their plans to block the the bill from advancing during an upcoming procedural vote.
“After months of good faith negotiations, after months of giving Republicans many of the things they asked for, Leader McConnell and the Republican conference are ready to kill the national security supplemental package, even with the border provisions they so fervently demanded,” Schumer said.
Schumer said the GOP decision to reject the bill represents a “dramatic transformation in Republican thought.” He said Senate Republicans and House Speaker Mike Johnson have “moved the goal posts” on negotiations.
“This is the new Republican line on the border: It’s an emergency, but it can wait 12 months or until the end of time. What utter bunk,” Schumer said.
Schumer said he’d be comfortable delaying the vote — though he cast doubts on Republicans’ motives for wanting the vote postponed.
“I will even offer to delay that vote until some time on Thursday to give even more time for Senators to make up their mind, but I suspect they won’t accept even that offer because they don’t really want more time, they’re just using it as an excuse,” Schumer said.
On Tuesday afternoon, McConnell put the nail in the coffin: “It looks to me and most of our members that we have no real chance here to make a law.”
McConnell did not go after former President Donald Trump, who put immense pressure on Republicans to reject the deal, saying that the Border Patrol Council, which supported Trump, backed the bill.
“I think in the end, even though the product was approved by the Border Council that endorsed President Trump, most of our members feel that we’re not going to be able to make law here. And if we’re not going to be able to make a law, they’re reluctant to go forward,” McConnell said.
On Monday night, a number of moderate senators who would be needed to get to 60 votes said they would vote no on moving forward if the vote is held on Wednesday.
Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said he’d be amenable to continuing to work on the bill, but will vote to block it from moving forward on Wednesday.
“I think we said to begin with we wanted time. I still think we want time,” Rounds said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, agreed.
“Clearly a bill of this magnitude being brought to the floor in 48 hours is really rushing it, so that’s another element that we talked in there, which in my view is problematic,” Sullivan said.
Even Lankford may choose to vote against proceeding on Wednesday if the rest of his conference isn’t ready to move forward.
“I’m listening to the rest of the conference on this,” Lankford said. “If the conference is not ready to be able to move on it, there’s no reason for me to be able to vote on cloture. That’s not voting against the bill.”
Hours after the bill text was release Sunday, Speaker Mike Johnson shot it down, saying in a statement that the bill is “dead on arrival” and “even worse than we expected, and won’t come close to ending the border catastrophe the President created.”
Asked about Johnson’s comments, Lankford acknowledged the challenge of drawing such a quick conclusion of the robust bill.
“People are throwing all these great hyperboles out there before they’ve really had a chance to be able to read through it and to be able to go through,” Lankford told ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott. “It’s interesting — I’ve had folks saying, ‘Hey this is really technical, it’s going to take days or weeks to be able to read through it — yet within minutes or hours they were saying, ‘Hey, I oppose it because I’ve gone through it.'”
Senators did not give a clear read out of how much time they believed they’d need to consider this.
But several did say that any path forward would need to involve opportunities to offer amendments to the package.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(WASHINGTON) — The House on Tuesday will vote on a Republican-led resolution to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the southern border.
The articles of impeachment accuse Mayorkas, long the target of GOP attacks when it comes to immigration policy, of “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and “breach of public trust” amid a surge in unauthorized migrant crossings.
Mayorkas has vigorously defended himself and the department, calling the allegations “baseless” and insisting it won’t distract from their work. Democrats have contended the impeachment effort is unconstitutional and politically motivated.
The impeachment resolution was read aloud by the House clerk and is being debated by lawmakers.
Homeland Security Committee chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., kicked off the two-hour debate by defending the committee’s yearlong probe into Mayorkas and said his actions are “responsible for this historic crisis.”
“Today’s articles of impeachment outline exactly that a dramatic abdication of statutory authority by Secretary Mayorkas has occurred,” Green said.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s top Democrat, slammed the proceeding as a “sham impeachment.”
“House Republicans want to distort the Constitution and the secretary’s record to cover up their inability and unwillingness work with Democrats to strengthen border security,” Thompson said. “It’s about Republican politics and subversion of the Constitution.”
A key question is whether the GOP will have the votes to pass it. Republicans have a razor-thin three-vote majority in the House, and two members of the conference have said they are against impeaching Mayorkas: Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado and Rep. Tom McClintock of California.
Amid speculation the vote could be postponed or even pulled, Speaker Mike Johnson told ABC News he is moving ahead with the resolution on Tuesday.
Asked if he had the votes, Johnson replied, “I think we will.”
Buck, explaining why he is a no vote on impeachment in an op-ed published by The Hill, said he thinks Mayorkas will “most likely be remembered as the worst secretary of Homeland Security in the history of the United States” but didn’t believe his conduct amounted to the Constitution’s high bar of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”
McClintock announced his decision in a 10-page memo released Tuesday morning, in which he also criticized Mayorkas, but said the impeachment effort is “bad politics and bad policy.”
“The problem is that they fail to identify an impeachable crime that Mayorkas has committed,” McClintock wrote. “In effect, they stretch and distort the Constitution in order to hold the administration accountable for stretching and distorting the law.”
Asked for his reaction to those in his party advising against impeachment, Johnson said he respects “everyone’s view on it” but he believes it’s a necessary step.
“There is no measure for Congress to take but this one,” he said at a news conference alongside other GOP leaders. “It’s an extreme measure. We do not take it lightly. I respect the conscience of everyone and how they vote.”
If the House does vote to approve the resolution, it would mark just the second time in U.S. history a Cabinet official has been impeached. The issue would then go to trial in the Democrat-controlled Senate, where a two-thirds majority vote would be needed to convict.
The vote on whether to impeach Mayorkas coincides with a fierce debate over a new bipartisan bill that would amount to the first major overhaul of the immigration system in years.
The measure, the product of months of behind-the-scenes negotiations among a bipartisan group of senators, is supported by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and President Joe Biden.
Mayorkas, who played a role in negotiations, praised the bill as “tough, fair, and takes meaningful steps to address the challenges our country faces after decades of Congressional inaction.”
But House Republican leaders, led by Johnson, have already deemed it dead on arrival if it gets past the Senate. Former President Donald Trump, looking to make immigration a top issue in the 2024 campaign, has also come out strong against the bill, calling it “ridiculous” and a “trap” for Republicans.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., criticized Republicans on both impeachment and the border bill as the House Rules Committee met Monday to mark up the Mayorkas resolution.
“Are you seriously going to come here and look us in the eye with a straight face and claim this is all about the border when you refuse to come together with Democrats and work on the border?” McGovern said. “No, you’d all rather advance this baseless, extreme, unconstitutional impeachment stunt. It’s really something else.”
House Rules Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., countered that Mayorkas was a “chief architect” of the border crisis and said the vote is about “accountability.”
“Secretary Mayorkas has refused to uphold his oath of office. If he will not do so, his duty, then unfortunately the House must do its constitutional duty,” Cole said during the markup.
The White House on Monday called the impeachment effort “unprecedented and unconstitutional.”
“Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas would trivialize this solemn constitutional power and invite more partisan abuse of this authority in the future,” according to a Statement of Administration Policy. “It would do nothing to solve the challenges we face in securing our Nation’s borders, nor would it provide the funding the President has repeatedly requested for more Border Patrol agents, immigration judges, and cutting-edge tools to detect and stop fentanyl at the border.”
ABC News’ Jay O’Brien and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
(NEW YORK) — Four bolts designed to prevent the door plug from falling off the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane were missing before the plug blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report of the incident released on Tuesday.
Boeing records reviewed by the NTSB showed that damaged rivets on the edge frame forward of the plug were replaced by Spirit AeroSystems employees at Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington, on Sept. 19, 2023, according to the agency’s report. Boeing had to open the plug by removing the two vertical movement arrestor bolts and two upper guide track bolts for the rivets to be replaced, but photo documentation obtained from Boeing showed evidence that the plug was closed with no bolts in three visible locations, according to the NTSB report.
One bolt area is obscured by insulation in the photo, though the NTSB said it was able to determine in its laboratory that that bolt was also not put back on.
After examining damage to the recovered plug, the NTSB determined that the “four bolts that prevent upward movement of the MED plug were missing before the MED plug moved upward off the stop pads,” the preliminary report stated.
Boeing said Tuesday it would review the NTSB’s findings “expeditiously” in a statement following the release of the report.
“Whatever final conclusions are reached, Boeing is accountable for what happened. An event like this must not happen on an airplane that leaves our factory,” Boeing president and CEO Dave Calhoun said in a statement Tuesday. “We simply must do better for our customers and their passengers.”
Boeing said it is taking “immediate action to strengthen quality,” including implementing a plan to ensure all mid-exit door plugs on 737-9s are installed properly and adding inspections further into the supply chain.
Spirit AeroSystems said in a statement Tuesday that it is reviewing the NTSB’s report and “remain focused on working closely with Boeing and our regulators on continuous improvement in our processes and meeting the highest standards of safety, quality and reliability.”
The door plug fell off a few minutes after Alaska Flight 1282 took off from Portland International Airport on Jan. 5. Passengers captured footage showing a hole where the door plug came loose on the Boeing 737 Max 9 plane. The plane safely made an emergency landing and no one was seriously injured.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded approximately 171 Max 9s worldwide following the incident. Alaska Airlines resumed flying the Boeing 737 Max 9 following fleet inspections on Jan. 26.
Alaska Airlines said Tuesday it remains “in close contact” with the NTSB.
“Safety is always our top priority,” the airline said in a statement. “As this investigation moves forward, we have full confidence in the safety of our operation and aircraft.”
The FAA is increasing its oversight of Boeing and began an audit of the company’s production and manufacturing in the wake of the door plug blow-out.
Boeing said Tuesday it will “fully and transparently support the FAA’s investigation, audit and oversight actions.”
“This added scrutiny — from ourselves, from our regulator and from our customers — will make us better. It’s that simple,” Calhoun said.
The CEO took responsibility for the incident in the company’s fourth quarter earnings call last week, saying the company is “accountable for what happened.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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(LONDON) — Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has returned to the United Kingdom to see his father, King Charles III, who is battling cancer.
Harry, who now lives in California, was spotted Tuesday arriving at Clarence House, the London residence of Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla.
Buckingham Palace announced Monday that Charles, 75, has been diagnosed with cancer. The palace did not state what type of cancer Charles is battling but noted that he has started “a schedule of regular treatments.”
Shortly after his meeting with Harry, which took place privately, Charles was photographed in a car alongside Camilla as the two traveled to a helicopter to fly to Sandringham, the king’s estate in Norfolk, England.
Harry’s visit with Charles marked the first time he has seen his father since May, when he traveled to the U.K. to attend Charles’ coronation.
At the coronation, Harry sat in the congregation with other members of the royal family and did not play a role in the service at Westminster Abbey. He and his older brother, Prince William, the heir to the throne, did not appear to interact at all during the service.
While Harry is in the U.K., he and William do not have plans to see each other, a source told ABC News.
William’s wife Kate is recovering from a health battle of her own after undergoing what Kensington Palace described as a “planned abdominal surgery” last month. She was released from the hospital on Jan. 29, and is now recovering at the family’s home in Windsor, England, according to the palace.
A palace source told ABC News that Charles personally told both of his sons, Prince William and Harry, as well as his siblings, Princess Anne and Princes Edward and Andrew, about his cancer diagnosis.
On Tuesday, Harry traveled alone to Clarence House to see Charles, just as he did for the coronation, leaving behind his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Harry, 39, has had a distant relationship with members of his family — most notably Charles and William — over the past four years, since he and Meghan stepped down from their senior royal roles.
Harry’s explosive memoir “Spare,” released last year, in which he described family tensions, appeared to further the distance between himself and his father and brother.
Harry told “Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan in an interview prior to the memoir’s release that he did not believe the details he shared in “Spare” could make things any worse with his family.
“I have thought about it long and hard,” Harry said. “And as far as I see it, the divide couldn’t be greater before this book.”
Neither Kensington Palace — the office of William and Kate, the Princess of Wales — nor Buckingham Palace, the office of Charles and Camilla, have commented publicly on the claims Harry made in “Spare.”
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(NEW YORK) — More than 100 days since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, the Israeli military continues its bombardment of the neighboring Gaza Strip.
The conflict, now the deadliest between the warring sides since Israel’s founding in 1948, shows no signs of letting up soon and the brief cease-fire that allowed for over 100 hostages to be freed from Gaza remains a distant memory.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 06, 1:31 PM
Qatari prime minister: Hamas has responded to hostage deal framework
Hamas has formally responded to the proposed framework for a deal exchanging hostages remaining in Gaza for an extended cease-fire, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Tuesday during a press conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive,” he said via a translator. “However, given the sensitivity of the circumstances we will not tackle details. We are optimistic and we have delivered the response to the Israeli party.”
Hamas in a statement did not say they had agreed to the deal but said they “dealt with” the proposed hostage deal “with a positive spirit.”
While Blinken didn’t express the same level of optimism as the Qatari prime minister, he maintained that a hostage deal was within reach, saying now that they had a response from Hamas, negotiators would be “intensely focused on that.”
“We’re reviewing that response now, and I’ll be discussing it with the government of Israel tomorrow,” Blinken said. “There is still a lot of work to be done, but we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed, essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it.”
When asked about the amount of time it took for Hamas to deliver an answer, the Qatari prime minister said “communication was presenting some challenges” and that “it took some time to get them to a place where we get that response,” adding, “we are hoping to see it yielding very soon.”
ABC News’ Shannon Crawford
Feb 06, 9:48 AM
Blinken meets with Egypt’s president amid push for new truce
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss Israel’s ongoing war in the neighboring Gaza Strip.
Their “meeting focused on developments in unyielding efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, exchanging detainees and providing access of needed relief aid to end the severe humanitarian catastrophe in the sector,” according to a readout from Egypt’s presidency.
It’s Blinken’s fifth trip to the Middle East since war erupted between Israel and Gaza’s militant rulers, Hamas. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been involved in negotiations between the warring sides.
Feb 05, 11:54 AM
UN secretary-general opens independent review into UNRWA
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced Monday that he has appointed an independent review group to determine whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is “doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.”
The probe comes amid Israel’s allegations that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attack.
“These accusations come at a time when UNRWA, the largest U.N. organization in the region, is working under extremely challenging conditions to deliver life-saving assistance to the 2 million people in the Gaza Strip who depend on it for their survival amidst one of the largest and most complex humanitarian crises in the world,” Guterres said in a statement.
The independent review group will begin its work on Feb. 14 and will provide an interim report by late March. A final report is due April 2024, according to Guterres.
The probe is separate from an investigation the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight is conducting into the allegations.
UNRWA has said it is investigating the allegations and took swift action against those accused of participating in the attack. However, the United States and other top donors have suspended their funding to the agency, which is the biggest humanitarian aid provider in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman and Morgan Winsor
Feb 05, 8:43 AM
Food convoy hit by Israeli naval gunfire in Gaza, UNRWA says
A food aid convoy waiting to move into the north of the Gaza Strip was struck by Israeli naval gunfire on Monday morning, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“Thankfully no one was injured,” Tom White, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, wrote in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces.
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
Feb 03, 4:52 PM
House plans vote on standalone Israel aid bill next week
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Saturday the House will vote on a standalone $17.6 billion Israel aid package next week.
“Next week, we will take up and pass a clean, standalone Israel supplemental package. During debate in the House and in numerous subsequent statements, Democrats made clear that their primary objection to the original House bill was with its offsets. The Senate will no longer have excuses, however misguided, against swift passage of this critical support for our ally,” Johnson said in a letter to colleagues obtained by ABC News.
This news is a major reversal after House Republicans previously approved a $14.3 billion Israel funding package that included cuts to IRS funding. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did not bring this legislation to the floor for vote because of Democrats’ opposition to IRS funding cuts.
Johnson again emphasized the Senate negotiated supplemental will face an uphill battle in the House and attacked Senators for excluding him and the House from the bipartisan talks.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Feb 03, 3:21 PM
IDF deploys 3 divisions to northern border amid Hezbollah attacks
The Israeli military has deployed three divisions to the northern border amid Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference Saturday.
He said the IDF is working to “reshape the security reality” on the northern border, so that some 80,000 Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s attacks can return to their homes.
“We do not choose war as our first option but are certainly ready, and preparing for it all the time, if need be,” Hagari said.
The IDF has struck more than 150 cells, killing some 200 terror operatives, mostly members of Hezbollah, and targeted more than 3,400 Hezbollah sites since the beginning of the war in Gaza, according to Hagari.
-ABC News’ Anna Burd
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(NEW YORK) — Quick and cheap are two of the first words that come to mind when thinking about fast food. But some McDonald’s customers have criticized the restaurant giant over recent higher menu prices, prompting the CEO to address the issue of affordability during the company’s latest earning call.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski spoke to analysts on Monday morning about the fast food chain’s mixed fourth quarter results, as well as the global market impact with ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Muslim communities, and ultimately about how to re-engage lower-income customers.
After the earnings results were posted, McDonald’s shares tumbled nearly 4% on the New York Stock Exchange by closing.
While global same-store sales – meaning stores that have been open for at least a year – were up 3.4%, short of Wall Street’s expectations, Kempczinski said those earnings results were impacted by the war in the Middle East.
Domestically however, same-store sales were up by 4.3%, which was more closely aligned to previous quarters and company expectations for what the CEO called “normalized growth.”
In the U.S., McDonald’s reported “strong average check growth driven by strategic menu price increases,” but the CEO admitted that there has been a sales dip in the wake of the increased menu prices.
McDonald’s noted a drop in transactions with one of its core consumers: lower-income customers who make $45K a year or less.
“Eating at home has become more affordable,” Kempczinski said. “The battleground is certainly with that low-income consumer.”
Kempczinski posited that these customers may have opted for less dining out, with prices and inflation on groceries cooling faster than the Consumer Price Index category for food away from home.
“What you’re going to see is more attention to affordability,” he emphasized. “Think about that as an absolute price point, which is more important for that consumer to get them into the restaurants than maybe value messaging. We are set up well to go after that.”
Kempczinski also wrote about the earnings on LinkedIn, writing, “we remain confident in the resilience of our business.”
Kempczinski further declared during the earnings call that the burger chain is already well positioned with its $1, $2, $3 menu platform.
“There will be some activity at the local level to make sure we continue to provide value for the lower-income consumer,” Kempczinski said, without providing any further details on how or when that could be expected.
Over the summer, McDonald’s customers in Connecticut complained of a nearly $18 price tag for a Big Mac combo meal, as first reported by the New York Post.
Franchises are allowed to set their own prices and choose whether or not to opt in for corporate promotions, which is why menu prices may vary by location.
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(NEW YORK) — A second storm within one week is pummeling nearly the entire state of California with heavy rain and life-threatening flooding.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a state of emergency for Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, where floodwaters have inundated roads and high winds are knocking down power lines and trees.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 06, 12:48 PM
Los Angeles mayor: ‘This storm continues … take precautions’
“This storm continues — and that means we still need Angelenos to take precautions,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned Tuesday.
Periods of rain will continue Tuesday creating dangerous conditions on the roads and increasing the chance of mudslides and flooding, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.
No fatalities have been reported in LA, Bass said.
Crews have responded to 307 mudslides and 257 fallen trees, Crowley said.
If you must go outside, use caution, Crowley warned. Slow down if driving and always be on the lookout for downed power lines and trees, she said.
The mayor commended residents who have checked on each other in hard-hit communities and stressed that everyone should check on their neighbors.
The “historic” rain is expected to taper off late Tuesday night, National Weather Service meteorologist Ariel Cohen said.
There’s a chance for more atmospheric rivers this spring, Cohen said.
Feb 06, 10:53 AM
By the numbers
Downtown Los Angeles recorded 7.03 inches of rain on Sunday and Monday, marking the wettest two days in the city since 1956.
Los Angeles averages 14.25 inches of rain for an entire year. So far this year, LA has recorded nearly 11 inches of rain, or 75% of the city’s annual rainfall.
And the rain is still falling. As of Tuesday morning, the three-day rainfall totals have climbed to: 12.2 inches in San Bernardino County; 12 inches in Bel Air in Los Angeles County; 9.4 inches in Santa Barbara County; 8.7 inches in Ventura County and 7.6 inches in downtown Los Angeles.
Feb 06, 7:39 AM
Southern California sees historic rainfall
As of early Tuesday, almost a foot of rain had fallen in Los Angeles’ Bel Air neighborhood over a period of less than three days, according to the National Weather Service
As of Monday, downtown Los Angeles had recorded 7.03 inches of rain in two days, making it the city’s wettest two-day period since 1956 when 7.44 inches of rain fell. It’s also the third wettest two days in Los Angeles’ history, with records dating back to 1877.
Los Angeles typically gets 14.25 inches of rain over an entire year. Since the start of 2024, the sprawling Southern California city has recorded almost 11 inches of rain — 75% of its annual average.
Feb 06, 7:06 AM
Latest forecast
A storm system continues to slam Southern California, with an atmospheric river bringing a plume of moisture all the way from the tropical Pacific Ocean.
The National Weather Service has flood watches in effect Tuesday morning for California as well as Nevada and Arizona. Winter storm warnings and snow alerts were also in effect for nine western states, from Montana to California, as this storm spreads into the Rocky Mountains.
As of early Tuesday, up to 3 feet of snow had already fallen on the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
The threat of flash floods on Tuesday will be mostly from Los Angeles to San Diego in California and from Yuma to Phoenix in Arizona. Locally, less than 1 inch of rain is in the forecast for Los Angeles, but the foothills around the city could get an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain.
On Wednesday, another storm system — much weaker — is expected to move through California from the San Francisco Bay Area to Los Angeles by the evening hours. The storm could dump an additional 1 inch of rain on southern California.
Feb 05, 10:08 PM
President Biden pledges ‘any and all federal support’ California needs
President Joe Biden told California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass he is committed to helping communities impacted by the monster storms with “any and all federal support requested.”
Feb 05, 10:17 PM
LAFD rescues man and dog from LA River
Los Angeles Fire Department personnel rescued a man and his dog from the Los Angeles River Monday.
Around 2:45 p.m. PT, authorities received a report from a bystander that a man had jumped into the water to rescue his dog. Fire crews responded and found that the dog had managed to swim to the edge and escape the rapids.
The dog was taken to a shelter for temporary care.
At a press conference Monday night, officials said LA County Fire had rescued 16 people from flooding conditions and five cats.
Feb 05, 4:50 PM
Flash flood warning in Los Angeles area extended to 6 p.m. PT
A flash flood warning that covers the Los Angeles-area cities of Glendale, Pasadena and Santa Clarita has been extended until 6 p.m. local time.
A flood advisory covering all of LA County is in effect until 3 p.m. local time.
Feb 05, 4:43 PM
3 people killed by fallen trees
Three people have been killed by fallen trees during the monster storm slamming California.
A man in Carmichael died after a tree fell on him, a Sacramento County spokesperson said Monday.
A tree fell on a house in Boulder Creek on Sunday, killing one resident inside, according to the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department. A second person managed to escape the home, authorities said.
The third fatality was recorded in Yuba City. An 82-year-old man was in his backyard on Sunday when he was killed by a falling redwood tree, Yuba City police said.
Feb 05, 3:13 PM
Flash flooding, mudslides ongoing threat from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles to San Diego
Flash flooding and mudslides are an ongoing threat from Santa Barbara to San Diego on Monday, with the Los Angeles area in the bull’s-eye, as a historic atmospheric river storm slams Southern California.
Ten inches of rain fell in some areas of Southern California. Many spots saw more than a month’s worth of rain over the last 24 hours.
Los Angeles recorded over 4 inches of rain in 24 hours, marking the city’s wettest day since December 2004.
The heavy rain and flooding will continue through Tuesday morning. Another 2 to 4 inches of rain is possible from Los Angeles to San Diego.
By Tuesday afternoon, the downpours will wind down. By Wednesday morning, the showers will linger in Southern California and most of the heavy rain will move into Arizona.
-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin
Feb 05, 2:59 PM
Over 130 flooding incidents reported in LA
Los Angeles has seen 2 to 5 inches of rain, while the Santa Monica mountains and Topanga Canyon area on the outskirts of Los Angeles are facing 5 to 10 inches of rain, Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said at a news conference Monday.
The fire department has responded to over 130 flooding incidents and 49 mudslide and debris flow incidents, and Los Angeles police recorded more than 65 traffic collisions, Crowley said.
“Overall, the county has weathered the storm well,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said.
The atmospheric river event will continue through Tuesday, bringing another 1 to 3 inches of rainfall to Los Angeles, Crowley said.
Feb 05, 1:45 PM
Cars trapped on flooded roads, drivers rescued amid extreme rainfall
Evacuation orders and evacuation warnings have been issued in some parts of Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Orange counties as life-threatening flooding hits the region, trapping people in cars and forcing residents to evacuate their homes.
In Los Angeles’ Baldwin Hills neighborhood, about six cars crashed while heading down a hill where the road was partly covered with mudslide debris, according to Los Angeles police. Multiple people were injured and one person might have suffered a broken leg, police said.
In San Bernardino County, three people were trying to drive across a flooded road when the car became submerged, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. The three people clung to a tree and were rescued, officials said.
In Los Angeles’ Studio City neighborhood, firefighters rescued 16 residents after debris flow damaged homes, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. No one was injured, officials said.
Feb 05, 12:42 PM
2nd fatality confirmed
Two people have been killed by fallen trees during the powerful California storm.
A tree fell on a house in Boulder Creek on Sunday, killing one resident inside, according to the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department. A second person managed to escape the home, authorities said.
The second fatality was in Yuba City. An 82-year-old man was in his backyard on Sunday when he was killed by a falling redwood tree, Yuba City police said.
Feb 05, 11:22 AM
Over 500,000 waking up without power
More than 516,000 customers in California are waking up without power Monday morning as a powerful rainstorm slams the state.
Flash flood warnings and flood advisories are in effect for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Feb 05, 9:25 AM
Latest forecast
Los Angeles recorded more than 4 inches of rain on Sunday, beating the city’s daily record of 2.55 inches set in 1927.
The relentless rainfall and life-threatening flooding are ongoing across the Los Angeles area on Monday morning and will continue throughout the day.
A flash flood warning is in effect from Malibu to Beverly Hills to Brentwood to Hollywood to Burbank.
By Tuesday morning, the heaviest rain will be targeting areas east of San Diego.
On Tuesday afternoon, scattered downpours continue throughout California, and by Wednesday, just a few light showers and sprinkles will remain.
Feb 05, 7:37 AM
4 million under flash flood warning in Southern California
The National Weather Service has a flood watch in effect Monday morning for some 40 million residents in California, where more than a month’s worth of rain has fallen in the past 24 hours.
There was also a flash flood warning in effect until at least 9 a.m. PT for more than 4 million residents in Southern California, from the Santa Monica Mountains to the Hollywood Hills and Griffith Park, including the areas of Hollywood, Malibu, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Santa Monica, Encino and Brentwood. There were reports of numerous damaging landslides, inundated roadways, submerged vehicles as well as flooded creeks and streams within the region.
Automated rain gauges indicate between 5 and 8 inches of rain have already accumulated in the warning area, with rainfall continuing. An additional 1 to 4 inches of rain was possible there.
-ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke and Morgan Winsor
Feb 05, 5:49 AM
Over 634,000 customers without power in California
Power is out for hundreds of thousands of electric customers in California amid severe weather.
As of 2:40 a.m. PT on Monday, more than 634,000 customers were without power across the Golden State, according to data collected by PowerOutage.us.
-ABC News’ Morgan Winsor
Feb 05, 5:34 AM
Man killed by falling redwood tree in Yuba City, police say
A man was killed by a falling redwood tree in his backyard in Yuba City in Northern California on Sunday, authorities said.
The Yuba City Police Department identified the victim as 82-year-old David Gomes.
A neighbor, who reported the incident, told the responding officers that they last saw Gomes at around 3 p.m. PT and believed they heard the tree fall about two hours later, according to police.
“Through the investigation, it appeared Gomes was possibly using a ladder to try and clear the tree away from his residence when it fell on him,” police said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Marilyn Heck and Morgan Winsor
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