(NEW YORK) — They were once coveted birthday and holiday gifts for millions of millennials and Generation Xers.
They were Nintendo Entertainment System bundled with Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt or that copy of Pokémon Gold for the Game Boy Color.
And even though those vintage game systems and cartridges are long gone from store shelves to make way for more advanced tech, the beloved games are still in high demand. In some cases, they can sell for thousands of dollars for collectors and retro gamers.
“Everybody’s into this stuff because this is the stuff they grew up on,” Nick Pittelli, the CEO of the retro gaming store “The Game Island,” told Impact x Nightline.
Impact x Nightline takes a look at this growing and lucrative trend in an episode now streaming on Hulu.
Although retro gaming has had a following ever since the first video game systems hit the market in the 70s, experts say the trend has boomed in recent years, and along with it the profits.
The industry-wide resale price for Nintendo 64 systems, which sold for $199.99 when it launched in 1996, or roughly $375 in 2022 dollars, can now fetch as much as five figures depending on its condition and rarity, according to experts.
Brandi Ahmer, a Maryland police officer who has a giant collection of video games, arcades and other vintage electronics, showed off her basement where she keeps her gaming relics. She told Impact that she was able to snag some rare consoles at bargains.
“That one goes for about $8,000,” Ahmer said of a rare red Nintendo 64 controller. “That’s what I was offered, but I paid $12.50 for it. I found it in a video game store.”
“Then this one right here is a chrome Nintendo 64…There’s only ten of these in the world,” she added. “And I was offered close to $20,000.”
Ahmer said she has no intention of selling any of her vintage systems or games and is always on the lookout to add to her collection.
“There’s something about these older systems,” she said. “But it’s like there are memories of a simpler time, you know, your childhood.”
Ahmer isn’t the only one feeling that nostalgia.
Pittelli said that demand for vintage games grew during the pandemic and the value of some items in his shop has gone up by 40%.
Joey Walker-Denny, the social media manager for the Pennsylvania-based retro game store DK Oldies, told Impact that his team gets about 300 emails a day from customers looking to either buy or sell their used games.
“I’ve seen larger emails than that,” he told Impact.
Walker-Denny noted that his team, which has grown tremendously since the store opened in the 2000s, takes great care to ensure that the games are in working condition for their customers, in some cases going as far to replace key components, such as a Game Boy screen.
“A lot of the stuff that we sell is over 30 years old. So you can imagine it needs a thorough cleaning,” he said.
Pittelli and other retro gaming experts said they expect that more people will be on the lookout for vintage games to reclaim their youth.
“I think there’s a stigma, like, ‘Oh yeah the people who shop or go to a video game store. They’re super nerdy.’ No, it’s not like that anymore. Rappers come here. Artists come here,” Pittelli said.
(LVIV, Ukraine) — Officials have warned that the city of Lviv, Ukraine, home to over 150,000 internally displaced people, could face a winter without power as they anticipate another surge in refugee numbers.
The mayor of Lviv, Andriy Sadovyi, told ABC News that the city, near the western border with Poland, is preparing to stay completely without power supply and natural gas supply because of Russian missile attacks which have devastated Ukrainian infrastructure in recent weeks.
To cope with the coming winter, a major construction project is now underway in the city in order to facilitate a new wave of people fleeing from regions badly targeted by Russian missile strikes which involves both renovating existing modular houses and building new ones.
Amongst the current refugee population, there is a mix of fear ahead of the expected drop in temperatures as well as overall hope in Ukraine’s long-term ability to secure a victory in the war.
“We hope that we will move to a different location as it becomes cold in here,” Ksenia, a 17-year-old from New York — a town in Donetsk region situated near the current frontline — told ABC News. She has been living in Lviv since this summer, when warmer temperatures did not pose such a challenge, with her mother, grandmother, brother and two cats.
Maria, 45, from Zaporizhzhia, has tried to retain her optimism. Asked by ABC News about her family’s plans for the future, she said: “Only victory and a way back home.”
Both Maria’s brother and son are currently serving in the Ukrainian army and her husband, also a military serviceman, has been missing since 2015.
Maria’s mother, Olga says, the conditions were different in the summer when they just moved into a temporary house designed for the families of four people. Due to the building’s thin walls, it can get very wet inside the home — the walls, doors and even their beds are covered with condensation and, sometimes, even with fungus.
These modular houses were a result of an urgent decision made in the early stages of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to Mayor Sadovyi, five million people have moved through the city since late February and there were days when upwards of two million refugees were staying in Lviv at once.
“We were forced to come up with any decision to give these people an opportunity to sleep somewhere,” he said.
Now he plans to buy more powerful diesel generators to guarantee the city’s residents heating, even without complete electricity.
“Every medical facility and several boarding schools are supposed to have a generator as an alternative energy source, and a solid fuel boiler as a second heating source,” Sadovyi said.
A separate complex for young mothers and pregnant women was built in Lviv about three months earlier this year — a totally different type of accommodation that is resistant to low temperatures, is more comfortable and can house over 100 people at once.
Lilia Kilchytska, head of a charity called “Unbroken Mothers”, says that IDPs from Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and other partially occupied regions live there at the moment.
To provide electricity and heating for the children and their mothers, the center has been granted a power generator by an international charity organization. It has already saved the families during the several blackouts caused by the Russian missile strikes.
A large number of refugees have lost their homes because of the war. Besides temporary shelters placed at dormitories, malls, theaters, schools, hospitals and other social infrastructure facilities, the administration is actively searching for long-term housing projects for IDPs.
Officials are currently considering buying, building or renovating enough square meters for the forced newcomers to the region but money is scarce, and authorities have said they require more donations and financial support if they are going to scale up their efforts.
At the moment, there are only 1,733 places for refugees to stay in these renovated buildings in Lviv over the upcoming winter.
That number, according to the authorities, pales in comparison to the potential flood of people who may leave their homes in other parts of Ukraine as Russian strikes continue this winter.
(BOSTON, Mass.) — Prince William thanked the “people of Boston” as he and his wife Kate arrived in the city to kick off their first U.S. tour in nearly a decade.
Their whirlwind tour ends with an awards ceremony for the Earthshot Prize, an initiative William launched in 2019 to create solutions for environmental problems.
This is William and Kate’s first visit to the United States since they visited New York City in 2014. It is also their first overseas trip since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September and their first overseas trip since taking on the titles of Prince and Princess of Wales.
“[William and Kate] are both excited for their first international trip since taking on their new roles,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson told ABC News. “Both appreciate the history associated to the titles but understandably want to look to the future and pave their own paths.”
Check back for updates throughout their trip.
Wednesday: Prince and princess of Wales sit courtside at Celtics game
Following their visit to city hall, William and Kate headed to TD Garden for a basketball game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.
Kate donned a blue blazer while William wore a blue button down and dark blue blazer. They were all smiles as they cheered on Celtics courtside alongside Governor-elect Maura Healey, Celtics co-owners Steve Pagliuca and Wyc Grousebeck, and Grousebeck’s wife Emilia Fazzalari.
William and Kate light Boston green
William and Kate’s first stop on their Boston trip was Boston City Hall.
They were greeted by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, the first woman and first person of color to be elected as mayor in the city last year, and U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy.
In honor of the Earthshot Prize, which was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot Initiative, the couple helped light Boston buildings and landmarks green.
In his address to Mayor Wu and the crowd at Boston City Hall, Prince William thanked Wu and Reverend White-Hammond for their support for the Earthshot Prize. He also noted why Boston was the “obvious choice for the Earthshot Prize in its second year” and said he was inspired by President Kennedy’s moonshot speech to launch the Earthshot Prize.
“Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy’s ‘moonshot’ speech laid down a challenge to American innovation and ingenuity,” Prince William began. “‘We chose to go to the moon,’ he said, ‘not because it is easy, but because it is hard.'”
“Where better to hold this year’s awards ceremony than in President Kennedy’s hometown, in partnership with his daughter and the foundation that continues in his name,” he added. “Boston was also the obvious choice because our universities, research centres and vibrant start-up scene make you a global leader in science, innovation and boundless ambition. Mayor Wu, you have also been a leader in putting climate policies at the heart of your administration. Thank you.”
“Like President Kennedy, Catherine and I firmly believe that we all have it in ourselves to achieve great things, and that human beings have the ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve,” William said. “We cannot wait to celebrate the Earthshot Prize later this week, and we are both looking forward to spending the next few days learning about the innovative ways the people of Massachusetts are tackling climate change.”
President Biden to greet Prince William and Kate in Boston on Friday
Earlier on Wednesday during a White House press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden “intends to greet the prince and princess of Wales” on Friday when he is in Boston. The White House previously announced that Biden would be in Boston this week for a fundraiser.
William and Kate arrive in Boston
Upon their arrival in Boston Wednesday morning, William said he and Kate are “delighted to be back in the United States.” He also used the moment to reflect about his grandmother, who celebrated her 1976 bicentennial in the U.S.
“On this, our first visit since the death of my grandmother, I would like to thank the people of Massachusetts and particularly of Boston for their many tributes to the late queen. She remembered her 1976 bicentennial visit with great fondness,” William said in a statement.
“My grandmother was one of life’s optimists. And so am I,” he added. “To the people of Boston, thank you. I’m so grateful to you for allowing us to host the second year of the Earthshot Prize in your great city. Catherine and I can’t wait to meet many of you in the days ahead.”
Spokesperson for William addresses racism accusations surrounding godmother
As William and Kate were making their way to Boston, a controversy erupted in the U.K. involving William’s godmother, Lady Susan Hussey.
Hussey, a longtime lady-in-waiting to the late queen, was accused of making racist remarks to an attendee at a reception hosted by Queen Escort Camilla on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace.
On Wednesday, Buckingham Palace said it had launched an investigation into the allegation and said Hussey had “stepped aside from her honorary role.”
A spokesperson for William commented on the incident while briefing reporters ahead of William and Kate’s arrival in Boston.
“This is a matter for Buckingham Palace but as the Prince of Wales’ spokesperson, I appreciate you’re all here and understand you’ll want to ask about it. So let me address it head on,” the spokesperson said. “I was really disappointed to hear about the guest’s experience at Buckingham Palace last night.”
He continued, “Obviously, I wasn’t there, but racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.”
(WASHINGTON) — French President Emmanuel Macron told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that he believes a negotiation is still “possible” with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which Macron called a “huge mistake.”
Macron spoke with Stephanopoulos ahead of meeting with President Joe Biden on Thursday for the first state dinner of Biden’s administration. In the interview, Macron talked about his visit to Washington and reinforcing France as the oldest ally of the U.S., especially during the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Stephanopoulos asked Macron about his vision for a “successful peace” in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February.
The French president stressed that such peace would need to be “sustainable” and driven by the Ukrainians.
“A good peace is not a peace which will be imposed to the Ukrainians by others, No. 1,” Macron said, adding, “A good peace is not a peace which will not be accepted on the mid-to-long run by one of the two parties.”
During Macron’s U.S. visit, he and Biden plan to address issues including economic ties between the two countries, challenges from China, Iran and the Middle East, and aligning how to best support Ukraine against Russia, according to the White House.
“I think President Putin made a huge mistake by launching this war,” Macron told Stephanopoulos, mentioning the Minsk agreements made between Ukraine and Russia after 2014 in an effort to prevent war.
Putin has since said he doesn’t recognize that deal.
“There was a political and diplomatic process with involvement of the international community. And he decided on his own, based on a fake narrative, saying NATO will use Ukraine to attack Russia, which is totally wrong,” Macron said.
Stephanopoulos asked: “Is a man who’s capable of making a decision like that, a mistaken decision like that, capable of negotiating what you call a good peace?”
“This is exactly the question,” Macron said.
But still, he said he hopes Putin will be “rational” with a negotiated end to the war.
“[Putin] is in charge and he’s been in charge for quite a long time … He knows his people. I think he made mistake,” Macron said. “Is it impossible to come back [to] the table and negotiate something? I think it’s still possible.”
(BOSTON) — Royal watchers hoping for a family reunion between Prince William and Prince Harry while William and Kate are visiting the United States may be left disappointed.
Sources close to William and his brother Prince Harry, who lives in the U.S. with his wife Meghan, confirm the two couples have no plans to meet while William and Kate are on their three-day visit to Boston.
William and Kate, the prince and princess of Wales, are visiting Boston to attend Friday’s awards ceremony for the Earthshot Prize, an initiative William launched in 2019 to create solutions for environmental problems.
While in Boston, the couple will meet with Caroline Kennedy and tour the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Just a few days later, on Dec. 6, the California-based Harry and Meghan will be in New York City to receive the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award from Kerry Kennedy, a cousin of Caroline Kennedy and niece of the late John F. Kennedy.
The fact that the two couples will be so close to each other on the East Coast in a short time span but will not meet is a sign of their continued strained relationship, according to ABC News contributor Victoria Murphy.
“I think the fact that there isn’t going to be a meeting says it all — the fallout is still very real and raw,” said Murphy. “Yes, Boston is a long way from California but Harry and Meghan are making the trip to New York just a few days later, so citing distance as the reason for not meeting doesn’t feel like the full picture.”
The couples have seen each other only a handful of times since Harry and Meghan stepped down from their senior working royal roles in 2020 and moved from the U.K. to California.
The last time William, Kate, Harry and Meghan appeared publicly together in person was during the mourning period for the late Queen Elizabeth II in September. Prior to that, the two couples, once called the “Fab Four” by royal watchers, had not been seen together in public in over two years.
“The brothers put on a show of unity for the queen’s funeral but the reality is that the divisions and disagreements are very much still there and they could get bigger depending on what is in Harry’s book and the couple’s docuseries,” said Murphy.
Harry and Meghan will be featured in a docuseries airing on Netflix in December and the next month Harry’s memoir, titled Spare, will be published on Jan. 10.
When the book was announced last year, Harry said it would be a “firsthand account” of his life that is “accurate and wholly truthful.”
The spotlight on Harry and Meghan means William and Kate’s U.S. trip, their first in eight years, comes at an “interesting time,” according to Murphy.
“Since they stepped back from royal life, Harry and Meghan have, at times, been very visible, but at times they have had periods out of the limelight with their young family,” she said. “Right now, it feels like they are very visible with anticipation building around their docuseries and Harry’s book and an awards gala to attend in New York.”
Murphy continued, “So it’s an interesting time for William and Kate to be in the U.S. — the country Harry and Meghan have made their home — right at the moment when there is a particular buzz and anticipation around what Harry and Meghan might have to say next about the royals.”
William and Kate’s trip also comes at an important time for the couple, who have taken on new roles since the queen’s death.
The trip is their first international trip since taking on the new roles of prince and princess of Wales. It also comes at a time of change for the monarchy under King Charles III, William and Harry’s father.
It is also William and Kate’s first trip since their visit to the Caribbean, where they faced protests over colonialism.
“I think this trip will be an interesting one because the monarchy has had a lot of criticism in the past few years,” said Murphy. “The picture is very different to when William and Kate visited the U.S. in 2014, so this trip could be seen as an opportunity to gauge how the U.S. public feels about the working royals and the monarchy right now and what that might mean for the royal family globally.”
The trip is also of personal importance to William, the heir to the throne, who has made preserving the environment a central point of his royal work.
“This is William’s passion project and something he is dedicating himself to over a decade and that he wants to do so that he can look his children in the eye over climate change,” said Murphy. “Their biggest goal is absolutely to get more focus around the awards and what we can do for climate change.”
(NEW YORK) — The Invictus Games are still less than a year away, but Prince Harry and Meghan, the duke and duchess of Sussex, are getting ready for the international event.
On Wednesday, the Invictus Games Foundation released a new promotional video for the paralympic-style competition featuring several Invictus competitors facing off in a ping-pong match — Prince Harry and Meghan appear in the video.
Are you ready? The incredible experience that is the #InvictusGames is coming ever closer.
Be a part of it to experience the power of sport in recovery in Düsseldorf 9-16 Sept 2023.
Tickets for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies are now available!
— Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 (@InvictusGamesDE) November 30, 2022
In the caption, the foundation shared information about the games, which will be held in September 2023 in Düsseldorf, Germany, and that tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are now available.
The Invictus Games were founded eight years ago by Prince Harry, who served in the British Army for 10 years and completed two tours in Afghanistan. He created the games as an international version of the Warrior Games, which is organized annually by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The first Invictus Games were held in London in 2014 and have been held in The Hague, Netherlands; Orlando, Florida; Toronto and Sydney since.
(DELPHI, Ind.) — Evidence in the Delphi, Indiana, double murder case was unsealed by a county court on Tuesday, revealing key new details, including that suspect Richard Allen’s gun was linked to the crime scene.
But many questions still remain around the murders of Abby Williams, 13, and Libby German, 14.
Here’s what we’ve learned and what remains unclear:
Allen places himself at the scene
Abby and Libby, best friends in the eighth grade, were on a hiking trail in rural Delphi when they were killed in February 2017.
Allen, a 50-year-old Delphi man, was arrested last month. He’s charged with two counts of murder and has entered a not guilty plea.
When interviewed by police in 2017, Allen said he was on the trail on the afternoon of the murders, according to the probable cause affidavit.
In an Oct. 13, 2022, interview, Allen told police he saw juvenile girls on the trails east of Freedom Bridge and said he went onto the Monon High Bridge, near where the girls were killed.
This year, Allen “again admitted” to police “that he was on the trail but denied knowing Victim 1 or Victim 2 and denied any involvement in their murders,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
Allen “has been consistent” in police interviews over the years, former FBI agent and ABC News contributor Brad Garrett said. “He put himself at the scene, on the bridge.”
But Garrett said he doesn’t understand how it took so long for an arrest.
“In a small town, in a place where there’s a small amount of traffic on this abandoned railroad bridge … your suspect pool is fairly small,” Garrett said, so police likely concentrated their investigation on Delphi and the surrounding communities.
Allen’s gun linked to crime scene
According to video recovered from one of the victim’s phones, Abby or Libby mentioned “gun” as a man approached them, the probable cause affidavit said.
A .40-caliber unspent round was found less than 2 feet away from one of the girls’ bodies, and that unspent round went through a gun that Allen owns, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Garrett explained that an “unspent bullet is one that has the casing and the projectile still together.” To get that, he said one of two things happens: 1.) Someone tries to fire the gun but it’s a faulty bullet and it doesn’t fire, or 2.) The gun jammed, which Garrett said is common.
During a search of Allen’s home on Oct. 13, 2022, officers found knives and guns, including a “Sig Sauer, Model P226, .40-caliber pistol,” the probable cause affidavit said.
Indiana State Police’s analysis of Allen’s gun “determined the unspent round located within two feet” of one of the victims “had been cycled through Richard M. Allen’s Sig Sauer Model P226,” the probable cause affidavit said.
“When asked about the unspent bullet, [Allen] did not have an explanation of why the bullet was found between” the girls’ bodies, the probable cause affidavit said.
When Allen voluntarily spoke to police on Oct. 26, 2022, he said he never allowed anyone to borrow that gun, which he said he owned since 2001, the document added.
Garrett said he doesn’t understand why it took police so many years to match an unspent round from the crime scene to a gun owned by a man who lives in Delphi.
Garrett said he hopes investigators went to all of the local gun stores to see their records of sales of .40-caliber-type weapons. Garrett said he’s solved homicide cases that way, because typically a perpetrator buys a gun legally near his or her home, he said.
While it’s unclear if police did go to gun stores, Garrett think it’s unlikely because there was no mention of a gun in the case until the probable cause document was released Tuesday.
How did the girls die?
Despite mention of a gun, it’s not clear if Abby or Libby died from gunshot wounds. Police still have not released their causes of death.
The probable cause affidavit did reveal that clothes belonging to the girls were found in a creek south of where their bodies were discovered.
“I’ve always been concerned about how these two youngsters died. The police have put a .40-caliber weapon into the case,” Garrett said. “You have this unspent shell casing near the victims’ bodies, but you also have things that are really troubling to me: [The girls] are in one place and their clothes are in another. … Unless he made them undress — which I guess is possible — was there some other weapon used?”
Investigators also cite a witness who saw Allen walking with “clothes that were muddy and bloody,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
According to Garrett, it’s unlikely Allen would be bloody if a gun was the only murder weapon, unless Allen handled the bodies in some manner.
Garrett said it’s possible that the gun jammed and the killer turned to another weapon.
Knives were also found at Allen’s home, according to the affidavit.
“Why would the police withhold [the cause of death]? The only thing I can think of is it was too gruesome, in their mind, to release,” Garrett said. “It seems like there is something more to it than just a gun.”
Police believe Allen is the man in suspect photo
Video from one of the victim’s phones shows a man on the trail wearing a dark jacket and jeans. An image taken from the video was released years ago as police asked for information to help them find the unknown suspect.
Investigators said in the probable cause affidavit that they believe Allen is the man seen on the video.
Allen told investigators on Oct. 13, 2022, that he wore jeans and a blue or black Carhartt jacket that day, according to the probable cause affidavit. Allen’s wife confirmed to police that he owns a blue Carhartt jacket, the document said.
Investigators also claim Allen forced Abby and Libby down the hill to the spot where they were killed, according to the document.
Allen’s lead defense attorney Brad Rozzi did not respond to a request for comment and fellow attorney Andrew Baldwin declined to comment.
Indiana State Police told ABC News on Tuesday: “Out of respect for the prosecutorial process, which is being led by the Carroll County prosecutor, we are refraining from making any public statements and are going to allow the probable cause affidavit to stand on its own. As this continues to be an active and ongoing investigation, the Indiana State Police will continue to provide any and all resources available to assist in the prosecution of this case.”
Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby said the information in the probable cause affidavit is “self-explanatory” and declined to comment further.
(NEW YORK) — Closing statements are beginning Thursday in the criminal tax fraud trial of former President Donald Trump’s family business, the outcome of which could turn on the vagaries and nuances of a part of New York criminal law that even the presiding judge has called “confusing.”
The Trump Organization is accused of partially compensating certain executives by paying their rent, covering their car lease payments, and providing other under-the-table perks never declared on their income taxes.
Prosecutors plan to remind the jury about the August guilty plea of Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s former chief financial officer who testified that he arranged the illegal compensation scheme for his own benefit, concealed it from the company’s outside accountant, and ended it only when Trump’s ascendance to the presidency invited fresh scrutiny of the company’s business practices.
In a closing statement he estimated could run four or five hours, prosecutor Josh Steinglass said he will tell the jury that Weisselberg qualifies as a “high managerial agent” of the company and committed his crimes while in his official capacity.
But that alone may not be enough for a conviction. Judge Juan Merchan said he will allow defense attorneys to argue in their closing statements that prosecutors failed to show Weisselberg acted “in behalf of” the company.
“The people will need to demonstrate to some degree, to some extent, there was an intent to benefit the corporation,” Merchan said during a conference Tuesday in which he mulled how he will instruct the jury on the law.
The confusing part, the judge said, is that the New York state legislators who drafted the relevant statute did not define exactly what “in behalf of” means in that context.
The judge said he would not allow the defense to “overstate what that intent was.”
Weisselberg testified that he paid the Trump Organization back for the free perks by reducing his reported annual salary by the total value of the perks he received — but prosecutors pointed out that the move saved the company money by reducing its payroll taxes.
“It was understood that by having less payroll you’d have less payroll taxes,” Weisselberg acknowledged on the stand.
The longtime CFO, who agreed to testify as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, said his primary goal in arranging the perks was to “save pretax dollars.”
On cross-examination, defense attorney Susan Necheles accused Weisselberg of “desperately trying to help prosecutors come up with a benefit” to the company, so he could fulfill a requirement of his plea agreement that he testify to the satisfaction of the district attorney’s office.
(WASHINGTON) — The White House is rolling out the red carpet on Thursday as President Joe Biden hosts French leader Emmanuel Macron for the first state dinner of Biden’s administration.
The president and first lady Jill Biden, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, will welcome President Macron and his wife, Brigitte, on Thursday night. The state dinner will take place on the South Lawn in a candlelit pavilion.
“The design of this dinner was inspired by the shared colors of our flags — red, white and blue — and our common values: liberty and democracy, equality and fellowship,” Jill Biden said Wednesday as she previewed the event. “These form the bedrock upon which our enduring friendship was built.”
The diplomatic tradition, put on hold for the past several years due to COVID-19, will highlight the crucial partnership between the U.S. and France, administration officials said.
“This visit really largely serves as a celebration of the strong footing of this relationship, one that is well rooted in our history, from the very beginnings of our country,” White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters this week ahead of Macron’s arrival.
Kirby said France has been a “vital global partner” on a number of issues, from providing support to Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and confronting challenges posed by China. Those issues are expected to be front and center of the discussions between President Biden and Macron, senior administration officials told reporters.
But the bilateral relationship has also been fraught at times, including last year when Australia canceled a massive, multibillion-dollar submarine deal with France in exchange for a partnership with the U.S and the U.K.
More recently, French officials and other European leaders have raised concerns about climate and energy provisions included in the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act, specifically the tax subsidies for American-made technologies related to renewable energy, like components for electric vehicles. European Union leaders have said the subsidies may break the rules of the World Trade Organization and will have negative side effects for their economies.
Senior Biden administration officials, in a call with reporters ahead of the state dinner, dodged questions about any strain between the two nations. On the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Biden officials touted a task force that has been discussing these issues with the Europeans as smoothing things over.
“I think it’s been a very constructive set of conversations that you know, is ongoing, between us and our partners in the in the [European Union], like I said, both with respect to their articulation of the challenges that they feel they face as a result of the IRA, as well as our articulation of some of the opportunities that we think the IRA provides,” an official said.
A French official, speaking to reporters ahead of the state visit, said France broadly welcomed the legislation since it’s “absolutely essential” for the U.S. to work toward meeting its climate goals, but the official said it’s important for the two nations to “resynchronize” their economic policies and “avoid a divergence.”
Other topics Macron planned to focus on, the official said, include strengthening African economies and promoting the teaching of French language in schools.
Macron, France’s president since 2017, was also the first foreign leader that then-President Donald Trump invited for a state visit. The two at first had a cordial relationship that turned sour over policy differences on issues like the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal.
Macron began his U.S. visit on Tuesday by joining Vice President Harris at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. and France agreed late last year to cooperate on space and in other realms, and on Tuesday Macron thanked Harris for the ongoing commitment.
“I do believe, indeed, space is a new place for conflictuality,” Macron said, warning there are “crazy players” and “rogue states” and “hybrid attacks.”
“And I think it’s very important, together — because we do share this history,” Macron said. “We do have the same commitment and attachment to science and progress. But we do share, as well, the same democratic values.”
In addition to meeting with Biden, Macron on Thursday will go to Capitol Hill for a discussion with bipartisan leadership in the House and Senate.
On Friday, he’ll travel to New Orleans to meet with state leaders and the Francophone community, participate in a cultural event, meet with local companies involved in the transition to renewable energy and promote French language instruction in under-served communities in Louisiana, French officials said.
On Wednesday night, the Macrons and Bidens dined together at an Italian seafood restaurant in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood, Fiola Mare.
(PUYALLUP, Wash.) — A barbershop owner has been gunned down and murdered in his own shop while he was in the middle of cutting an 8-year-old child’s hair.
The incident occurred at approximately 5:09 p.m. Wednesday in Puyallup, Washington — about 30 miles south of Seattle — when the Puyallup Police Department were dispatched to at JQ’s Barbershop after receiving reports that an employee at the store had been shot multiple times, according to a statement from the Puyallup Police Department.
“The business was occupied at the time of the incident by several individuals who are cooperating with the investigation,” authorities said. “These individuals informed responding officers that the suspect entered the business and went directly to the booth where the victim was cutting an eight-year-old child’s hair. Per the witnesses, the suspect entered the booth and shot the victim multiple times.”
The suspect — described as 5’8” tall and wearing “wearing black pants, a black jacket, and possibly a mask” — then fled the area on foot, police said.
While the child was not harmed in the shooting, the victim — identified as the 43-year-old owner of JQ’s Barbershop who lived in Tacoma, Washington — was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Upon their arrival, officers immediately requested the assistance of Central Pierce Fire and Rescue. Central Pierce Fire and Rescue arrived at the scene within moments of the request and determined that the individual was deceased,” the Puyallup Police Department said, confirming the fatality.
Officers immediately began conducting an extensive search of the area for the suspect aided by at least one police canine unit but were unable to locate him. The suspect is still at large.
The investigation is now being led by the Puyallup Police Department’s Investigative Services Unit and authorities are asking anybody who works or resides in the area of the shooting to check their security cameras for anyone matching the description of the suspect and to contact the Puyallup Police Department with any information regarding this case.
