(LONDON) — New British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Thursday responded to skyrocketing energy prices in dramatic fashion with plans for a freeze on natural gas and electricity bills for millions of households that face massive rate increases as the winter months approach.
The policy could amount to one of the country’s largest government interventions in recent history, costing tens of billions of pounds and reducing prices on a wide scale.
The plan arrives amid an energy shortage brought about by the Russia-Ukraine war, which has worsened Britain’s inflation crisis, helping send price increases in the country soaring to a 40-year high of 10.1%.
Britain is hardly alone with its inflation woes. Sky-high inflation has strained economies and household budgets across the world, including in the United States, where cost hikes have slowed but remain near decades-long highs.
Rather than price controls, U.S. inflation policy has relied on a series of aggressive borrowing cost increases as the Federal Reserve tries to slash price increases by slowing the economy and choking off demand. But the approach risks tipping the U.S. into an economic downturn and putting millions out of work.
Economists who spoke with ABC News acknowledged the potential effectiveness of the British policy as a means of targeting that nation’s energy price spike but they differed sharply on whether the plan offers a blueprint that the U.S. should consider for sectors of high inflation.
Here’s how the British policy will work, and whether experts think it could be implemented in the U.S.:
What does Britain’s energy price cap do?
The plan, which would go into effect next month and last two years, caps the annual cost of natural gas and electricity for a typical British household at £2,500. The plan would do the same for many non-domestic institutions, such as schools; but those price caps only last six months.
The average annual cost for natural gas and electricity was otherwise scheduled to spike next month from £1,971 to £3,549, and thereby take up a sizable proportion of monthly spending for many British households.
Under the plan, the British government will pay energy suppliers the shortfall leftover from the reduction in the retail price. Truss, a member of the Conservative party, has not announced the cost of the measure but some estimates put the cost at roughly £150 billion, making it more than twice the size of the initiative that allowed British companies to keep paying workers amid COVID.
“This is a huge piece of state intervention ironically overseen by a conservative government suspicious of the state,” said Matthew Goodwin, a London-based professor of politics at the University of Kent.
Moreover, energy suppliers will receive the same amount of payment for their goods that they would have if the retail price had jumped, since the government is covering the shortfall.
This payment mechanism causes the large price tag for the British government and differentiates the policy from the price controls imposed in the U.S. during World War II, for instance, in which companies were asked to sacrifice profits for the war effort, said Hal Singer, a managing director at the consulting firm Econ One and adjunct professor at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.
“The reason why the U.K. policy is costly is because Truss is insisting that energy suppliers continue to be compensated at market rates,” Singer told ABC News.
Should a policy like this be implemented in the U.S.?
The energy crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine war has not impacted the U.S. as much as many countries, especially those in Europe.
However, overall inflation in the U.S. remains historically high, with price hikes for goods such such as rent and groceries far worse than cost increases in other areas of the economy. That dynamic raises the question of whether an approach like the one announced by Britain could work to address particularly severe areas of U.S. inflation.
Singer, of Econ One, said the U.S. should pursue such a strategy to bring down costs like skyrocketing rents, which result in part from the outsized market control retained by landlords.
“We absolutely should be pursuing these alternative remedies to address what many of us are starting to see now as the exercise of market power,” he said. “There’s a comparable crisis in the U.S. in terms of rents for apartments and homes.”
But Orazem sharply disagreed, saying that price controls would worsen the root problem behind inflation: a supply shortage. Price controls risk undercutting the incentive that high prices give to companies for increased investment and ramped up supply, which in theory should bring the market to equilibrium, he said.
“Creating supply shortages in the middle of inflation that’s created by supply shortages seems ludicrous to me,” he said. “You’re not solving the problem by exacerbating the problem.”
(NEW YORK) — In August 2020, hundreds of thousands of Californians briefly lost power in rolling blackouts amid a heat wave, marking the first time outages were ordered in the state due to insufficient energy supplies in nearly 20 years.
The state has been working to avoid a similar scenario as California is in the midst of an unprecedented heat wave that officials said is on track to be the state’s hottest and longest for September.
For more than a week, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) — which oversees the electrical grid serving 80% of the state — has been calling on residents to conserve their energy use in the later afternoon and evening amid extreme temperatures that have sent electric demand on the grid to record levels.
Thanks to those efforts, the company has so far avoided having to order an outage to reduce demand and stabilize the system even in the face of record demand. The power grid saw a record demand of 52,061 MW on Tuesday, as the ISO warned that power outages were imminently possible “as electricity supplies run low in the face of record heat and demand.” Prior to this current heat wave, the previous record was 50,270 MW in 2006.
California ISO power grid peak demand hit 52,061 MW, a new all-time record. Still holding in EEA3 – no load shed. Conservation is making a difference. https://t.co/9gv5TqmPuQ
Had reserve supplies been exhausted, the ISO would have ordered utilities to begin rolling power outages to bring demand within available supplies and avoid cascading blackouts.
“Outages are a significant inconvenience to those affected, but it’s preferable to manage emergencies in a controlled manner rather than let it cause a wider spread, longer lasting disruption,” the ISO said in a statement.
Factors impacting the grid
Several factors impact the capacity and function of the power grid.
Increased demand and extreme heat: The power grid is being strained amid what California officials have called an unprecedented prolonged heat wave.
“California and many other western states are experiencing simply unprecedented temperatures,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week. “These triple-digit temperatures throughout much of our state are leading, not surprisingly, to record demand on the energy grid.”
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) September 7, 2022
Heat waves drive up demand due to increased air-conditioning use.
“Typical summer peak load in CAISO is 30 GW, but super-hot day can be nearly 50 GW. That 60%+ increase is virtually all air-conditioning,” Severin Borenstein, a renewable energy expert at the University of California, Berkeley, and an ISO board member, said on Twitter.
Californians have been urged to raise their thermostats in the afternoon and evening hours, when demand on the grid is greatest, among other actions to reduce their energy use at night.
California buys electricity from other states to boost its supply, but during a widespread heat wave, there’s less energy for other states to sell. Rising temperatures due to climate change are expected to drive up air-conditioning demand across the country, according to Climate Central.
Renewable energy supply: The state’s grid is powered, in part, by renewable energy, including solar power and hydropower.
The solar supply decreases toward the end of the day, prompting the calls to reduce energy use after 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. There can also be uncertainty with solar supply due to factors such as cloud cover and smoke from wildfires, as the state battles several blazes.
“We’ve seen situations where smoke and cloud cover can have an effect. If it’s over a populated area, it could have more effect of reducing demand, where if the smoke and cloud cover is over the solar fields, it can have an effect on the availability of supply,” Mark Rothleder, the ISO’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, told reporters during a press briefing Thursday.
Prolonged drought and wildfires, which are becoming more prevalent and severe due to climate change, can also cut into power supplies. The U.S. Energy Information Administration had forecast that California could lose half its normal hydroelectric generation this summer due to drought. Wildfires can also trip off transmission lines, limiting the flow of electricity.
The current heat wave “is just the latest reminder of how real the climate crisis is, and how it is impacting the everyday lives of Californians,” Newsom said in a statement. “While we are taking steps to get us through the immediate crisis, this reinforces the need for urgent action to end our dependence on fossil fuels that are destroying our climate and making these heat waves hotter and more common.”
Breakdowns and human error: The state also uses natural gas to power its grid.
Multiple generators also have been “forced out of service due to the extreme heat, making energy supplies tighter,” the ISO said.
Human error may also play a part in power supplies. Though the ISO has not issued them, several Northern California cities did see rolling blackouts this week due to a “communication breakdown” between the grid operator and local power authority, The Sacramento Bee reported.
“I think every time you go through a period where you’re where your grid and both your human and physical infrastructure gets stretched right to the edge, you can look back and learn from that,” Eliot Mainzer, president and chief executive officer of the ISO, told reporters Thursday.
Mainzer said the latest heat wave has shown the importance of procuring new clean energy resources, ensuring backup generation and having a sophisticated alert system that can help cut down on energy use in real-time.
“We’re seeing really the onset of what [is] now a new normal of heat and volatility and uncertainty in the system,” he said.
(LOS ANGELES) — Los Angeles County is investigating the death of a person who had been diagnosed with monkeypox, county officials said during a press conference Thursday.
“This is one of two deaths in the United States that are currently under investigation to determine whether monkeypox was a contributing cause of death,” Dr. Rita Singhal, chief medical officer and director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Disease Control Bureau, said.
The county is in the preliminary phase of its investigation and doesn’t have many details to share with the public but will share them “while maintaining confidentiality and privacy” when they become available, Singhal said.
There are more than 21,000 cases of monkeypox in the U.S., according to county officials, with California reporting 4,140 — the largest number of cases in the country. About 1,694 people have tested positive for monkeypox in LA County, officials said Thursday.
“Across the world, there have been seven confirmed deaths among monkeypox cases in non-endemic countries,” Singhal said.
Texas health officials revealed last month that a Harris County, Texas, resident, who had been diagnosed with monkeypox, died.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the patient was severely immunocompromised and died at a Harris County hospital.
Health officials have urged the immunocompromised to get vaccinated since they are at an elevated risk of severe disease.
Los Angeles County officials said Thursday that they’re in the fourth phase of their monkeypox vaccine rollout and have received 57,000 vials of the JYNNEOS vaccine, about 113,000 doses.
The county has also expanded vaccine eligibility to people at high risk of future exposures, officials said Thursday.
Most cases in the current monkeypox outbreak have been detected in gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men. However, officials have said that anyone exposed to the virus could become infected with monkeypox.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, monkeypox primarily spreads through prolonged skin-to-skin contact with infected people’s lesions or bodily fluids.
In addition to lesions, which can appear like pimples or blisters, the most common symptoms associated with monkeypox are swollen lymph nodes, fever, headache, fatigue and muscle aches.
ABC News’ Mary Kekatos and Arielle Mitropoulos contributed to this report.
(CINCINNATI) — A convicted sex offender has been arrested after authorities received over two dozen tips from the public identifying him as a man who was peering into people’s homes.
The alleged peeping Tom — identified as 36-year-old Kevin Michael Ayers of Hamilton, Ohio — was caught looking into the windows of people’s homes in Liberty Township, a suburb of Cincinnati located approximately 28 miles north of the city.
“Detectives received over 25 tips from the public identifying Mr. Ayers, along with information from other law enforcement agencies that are familiar with him due to similar incidents, read a statement from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office that was posted on social media.
Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones posted a tweet on Sept. 6 of surveillance footage of the alleged prowler peering into somebody’s home on Aug. 22 at approximately 1:23 a.m.
Jones also reported that the suspect was filmed doing the same thing again on Sept. 5 at 10:50 p.m. Jones did not say whether the suspect was caught on the same camera in each of these instances.
But on Sept. 8, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office announced that the suspect was arrested and charged on one count of criminal trespass, which is a misdemeanor in the fourth degree in the state of Ohio.
Ayers is a registered sex offender who has previous convictions for voyeurism, authorities say.
“Thanks to the help of the public, we were able to identify the suspect quickly. This could have escalated into something much more severe”, said Sheriff Richard K. Jones following Ayers’ arrest.
(LONDON) — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II “died peacefully” on Thursday, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. She was 96.
The news of her death came just hours after the palace announced that the queen’s doctors were “concerned” about her health and were keeping her under “medical supervision” at Balmoral Castle, the British royal family’s estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where she has been vacationing this summer.
Members of the royal family, including the queen’s four children, quickly gathered by her side at Balmoral, according to their respective spokespersons. She died that afternoon.
Elizabeth was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. She ascended to the throne in 1952 and, in June, celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as queen. Her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales, will take his mother’s place on the British throne as king. Charles’ wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will become known as queen consort.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Sep 09, 8:53 AM EDT
British Parliament members pays tribute to the queen
Both British houses of Parliament are meeting Friday for members to pay tribute to the queen in a special session of condolence.
Politics in both Houses will be on hold for a period of mourning.
“For the 70 glorious years of her reign, our queen was at the heart of this nation’s life,” Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said. “She did not simply reign over us, she lived alongside us.”
“It seems impossible to imagine a Britain without her,” he added.
There will also be a rare Saturday meeting where senior members of Parliament can take an oath of allegiance to the king. The meeting will end with an address to the king expressing condolences following his mother’s death.
House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will determine the timetable in the House for the following days, which is expected to be significantly reduced until after the state funeral for the queen.
This means new laws cannot be passed until Parliament returns, though it could be recalled for pressing matters.
-ABC News’ Zoe Magee
Sep 09, 8:37 AM EDT
King Charles III set to deliver remarks today
King Charles III will return to London this afternoon to record a televised address to the nation from Buckingham Palace. The speech will air at 1 p.m. ET before he attends the national service of thanksgiving for his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at St. Paul’s Cathedral at 2 p.m. ET.
King Charles will be officially proclaimed king at 6 a.m. ET on Saturday from the balcony at St James’ Palace. The first son of Queen Elizabeth II became king the minute his mother died but the formal announcement will be made on Saturday.
Sep 09, 7:24 AM EDT
Sec. of State Antony Blinken comments on death of Queen Elizabeth II
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has shared the following statement to the people of the United Kingdom following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8, 2022:
Together with the American people, I extend my deepest sympathies to His Majesty The King, the entire Royal Family, the people of the United Kingdom, and the peoples of the Commonwealth on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
For more than 70 years – a period during which the United Kingdom and the world witnessed unprecedented change – Queen Elizabeth personified a sense of stability. During a time of tremendous division, she was a source of unity.
Her influence extended well beyond the Commonwealth. As Queen, she visited more than 120 countries, including the United States, where she made a point of meeting not only with leaders, but with people from all walks of life. She was the embodiment of the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom, and a symbol of the enduring alliance that has seen our nations through the greatest tests of the 20th and 21st centuries.
We join people around the world in mourning her passing, and we will forever be inspired by the memory of her service, leadership, and friendship.
Sep 09, 5:17 AM EDT
The queen’s final moments
Prince Charles and Princess Anne were with their mother in her final hours.
Prince Andrew and Prince Edward and his wife Sophie raced to be by her side, as did her grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry but they did not get there in time.
Sep 09, 12:36 AM EDT
World reacts to Queen Elizabeth II’s death
Cities around the world joined in mourning Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Thursday.
With Queen Elizabeth II’s death, Camilla becomes queen consort
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, her eldest son Charles becomes king and his wife Camilla becomes queen consort.
The queen made the request for the title in February, saying that “it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
The statement marked the first time the queen had publicly addressed her daughter-in-law’s role in the future monarchy.
The eldest son of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch has taken his late mother’s place on the throne.
King Charles III is the first child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Upon the death of his mother on Sept. 8, Charles succeeded her as king of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
Charles, 73, was born at Buckingham Palace in London in 1948. He was just 3 years old when he became the heir apparent as his mother acceded to the throne as queen, following the death of her father, King George VI.
Sep 08, 3:26 PM EDT
Biden orders flags to half-staff
In a new proclamation, President Joe Biden has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff “until sunset, on the day of interment,” as a “mark of the respect for the memory of Queen Elizabeth II.”
“I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment,” the proclamation reads.
He continued, “I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.”
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Sep 08, 3:15 PM EDT
Former US presidents react over queen’s death
Former presidents of the United States have released statements in reaction to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
President Bill Clinton said in a statement that he and former first lady Hillary Clinton are mourning the passing of Her Majesty with the royal family and the rest of the world, describing her life as “extraordinary.”
“Throughout her remarkable 70-year reign, she led Britain through great transformations with unfailing grace, dignity, and genuine care for the welfare of all its people,” Bill Clinton said. “In sunshine or storm, she was a source of stability, serenity and strength.”
Bill Clinton added that he and Hillary Clinton “will always be grateful” to the kindness the queen showed them during visits to Buckingham Palace in 1995 and 2000.
President George W. Bush said in a statement that he and former first lady Laura Bush were “honored” to know the queen, describing her as a “woman of great intellect, charm and wit.”
“Spending time at Buckingham Palace, and having tea with Her Majesty — and her Corgis — is among our fondest memories of the presidency,” George W. Bush said.
The queen was able to lead the U.K. through dark moments with “her confidence in her people and her vision for a brighter tomorrow,” George W. Bush said.
“Our world benefitted from her steady resolve, and we are grateful for her decades of service as sovereign,” George W. Bush said. “Americans in particular appreciate her strong and steadfast friendship.”
President Barack Obama said in a statement that he and former first lady Michelle Obama were “lucky enough to come to know Her Majesty,” adding that the queen “meant a great deal to” to them.
“Back when we were just beginning to navigate life as President and First Lady, she welcomed us to the world stage with open arms and extraordinary generosity,” Barack Obama said. “Time and again, we were struck by her warmth, the way she put people at ease, and how she brought her considerable humor and charm to moments of great pomp and circumstance.”
Barack Obama continued, “Like so many, Michelle and I are grateful to have witnessed Her Majesty’s dedicated leadership, and we are awed by her legacy of tireless, dignified public service. Our thoughts are with her family and the people of the United Kingdom at this difficult time.”
President Donald Trump also released a statement following the news of the queen’s death, saying that he and former first lady Melania Trump will always cherish their time together with the queen and will “never forget Her Majesty’s generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor.”
“Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Donald Trump said on Truth Social, his social media platform. “Together with our family and fellow Americans, we send our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom during this time of great sorrow and grief. Queen Elizabeth’s historic and remarkable reign left a tremendous legacy of peace and prosperity for Great Britain.”
Sep 08, 2:47 PM EDT
UK thrived under Elizabeth’s reign, says Liz Truss
The newly appointed prime minister of the United Kingdom, Liz Truss, emphasized the importance of Queen Elizabeth II’s rule while addressing the death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch on Thursday.
“Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built,” Truss said outside of 10 Downing Street on Thursday. “Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her.”
Among the accomplishments Truss highlighted were Elizabeth’s accomplishment of growing the Commonwealth from a small group of seven countries to a “family of 56 nations” as well as visiting more than 100 countries as sovereign.
The queen, who met with Truss on Tuesday at Balmoral, invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party, to form a new government as prime minister, an act emblematic of the queen’s devotion to duty, Truss said.
“Earlier this week, at 96, she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me as her 15th prime minister,” Truss said, describing her as the “the very spirit of Great Britain.”
Truss also extended condolences to the now-King Charles III, calling for the country to support him in the passing of the crown.
“We offer him our loyalty, and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much to so many for so long,” Truss said.
Sep 08, 2:21 PM EDT
Charles on queen’s passing: ‘A moment of the greatest sadness’
The queen’s eldest son and new king of England — who will be known as King Charles III — released a statement following his mother’s passing.
“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” Charles said.
“I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world,” the statement continued.
Sep 08, 2:06 PM EDT
UK lowers flags to half-mast as rainbows appear
The U.K. ordered all flags to fly at half-mast in the wake of the queen’s death Thursday.
In a bit of fortuitous timing, the rain clouds eased up following the announcement and rainbows appeared over Buckingham Palace.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also ordered the flags to fly at half-mast over the Capitol in tribute to the monarch, according to her deputy chief of staff.
Sep 08, 2:02 PM EDT
How the British royal line of succession changes
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, there is a new line of succession to the British throne.
The queen’s oldest son, Charles, the Prince of Wales, is now the new king. Members of his direct family — including his sons, Princes William and Harry — are now higher in the line of succession.
In general, succession falls to the first-born child of the heir and their children, followed by the next oldest sibling of the heir and their offspring and so on.
Sep 08, 1:51 PM EDT
What comes next after queen’s passing?
With the queen’s death come questions about what happens next, as the world has not witnessed a changeover in Britain’s monarchy in 70 years.
The U.K. government and the royal family have been planning for years to ensure a smooth transition after the queen’s death, and to appropriately honor her history-making reign.
Buckingham Palace announced Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II has died. She was 96.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the palace said in a statement. “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Elizabeth is survived by her three sons, Charles, Prince of Wales; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex; her daughter, Anne, Princess Royal; her eight grandchildren, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex; Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie; Peter and Zara Phillips; Lady Louise Windsor; and James, Viscount Severn. She is also survived by 12 great-grandchildren.
Her oldest son, Charles, succeeds her as king. His wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is expected to become queen consort, a title that Elizabeth requested at the time of her Platinum Jubilee in June.
Charles’s oldest son, William, is now heir apparent to the throne.
Sep 08, 1:10 PM EDT
Biden briefed on queen’s health, White House says
U.S. President Joe Biden has been briefed on Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and “will be updated throughout the day concerning news out of the United Kingdom,” given the reports of her health, White House spokesperson John Kirby said Thursday
“His and the first lady’s thoughts are solidly and squarely with the queen today and her family,” Kirby told reporters.
Biden also expressed that his thoughts are with U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, who took office on Tuesday and is currently taking part in a previously scheduled phone call with Biden and other allies focused on “continued support for Ukraine,” according to Kirby.
“I can tell you that in this video conference that the president is having as we speak, I can tell you that he did convey to Prime Minister Truss, who is on the video teleconference, that he and Dr. Biden are thinking very much of the queen and the family and the people of the United Kingdom,” Kirby said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Sep 08, 10:05 AM EDT
UK prime minister ‘deeply concerned’ about queen
U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss took to Twitter on Thursday to say that her “thoughts — and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom — are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.”
“The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime,” Truss tweeted.
Truss, who was recently selected as the new leader of the United Kingdom’s ruling Conservative Party, had an audience with the queen at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Tuesday, during which she was formally asked to form a new government as prime minister after Boris Johnson’s official resignation. It was the first time in the queen’s 70-year reign that the ceremonial transfer of power was held at Balmoral, rather than at Buckingham Palace in London.
Sep 08, 9:41 AM EDT
Senior royals head to Balmoral Castle
Senior members of the British royal family are either at or on their way to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where Queen Elizabeth II remains “under medical supervision.”
The queen’s oldest child and the heir to her throne, Charles, prince of Wales; and his wife, Camilla, duchess of Cornwall; as well as the queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, are already at Balmoral, according to their respective spokespersons.
Meanwhile, the queen’s other sons, Prince Andrew, duke of York; and Prince Edward, earl of Wessex; as well as Edward’s wife, Sophie, countess of Wessex; Charles’ two sons, Prince William, duke of Cambridge; Prince Harry, duke of Sussex; and Harry’s wife, Meghan, duchess of Sussex, are all on their way to Balmoral, their respective spokespersons confirmed.
(LANSING, Mich.) — Michigan voters will decide in November whether to codify abortion rights in the state’s constitution after the Michigan Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in favor of adding a proposed amendment to the ballot.
The initiative, if passed, would amend Michigan’s constitution to establish “a fundamental individual right to reproductive freedom” that includes abortion access, contraception, miscarriage management and more.
The amendment would also allow allow the state to regulate abortion after fetal viability “provided that in no circumstance shall the state prohibit an abortion that, in the professional judgement of an attending health care professional, is medically indicated to protect the life of physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.”
The court’s ruling comes one day before the deadline for completing the ballot for this fall’s elections — and just a day after a Michigan Court of Claims judge ruled that the state’s 1931 abortion ban violates the state constitution.
The Michigan Board of State Canvassers had earlier deadlocked on whether the ballot initiative should move forward, leading to the appeal before the state’s high court.
The two Republicans on the state board cited formatting and spacing issues in the initiative’s text as reasons not to approve the proposal.
Five of the seven justices on the Michigan Supreme Court criticized that reasoning in their 23-page ruling on Thursday.
“Seven hundred fifty three thousand and seven hundred fifty nine Michiganders signed this proposal—more than have ever signed any proposal in Michigan’s history,” wrote Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack, a Democratic-nominated judge. “The challengers have not produced a single signer who claims to have been confused by the limited-spacing sections in the full text portion of the proposal.”
“They would disenfranchise millions of Michiganders not because they believe the many thousands of Michiganders who signed the proposal were confused by it, but because they think they have identified a technicality that allows them to do so, a game of gotcha gone very bad,” McCormack continued. “What a sad marker of the times.”
Reproductive Freedom for All, the group behind the ballot initiative, said Thursday that they were “glad that the Court affirmed the will of the people.”
In a dissenting opinion, Judge Brian Zahra, a Republican nominee, said he had “doubts that the form and content of the petition comply with Michigan law.”
Abortion rights has become a major issue in the lead up to the midterm elections after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling legalizing abortion nationwide for the past 50 years.
Democrats celebrated a win on the issue during the primary elections in Kansas, when voters in the traditionally conservative state overwhelmingly rejected a measure to remove the right to abortion from the state constitution.
Four other states — California, Kentucky, Montana and Vermont — will have abortion-related initiatives on the ballot before voters in November.
(WASHINGTON) — Democratic congressional leaders are facing a progressive revolt — that could potentially risk a government shutdown — in the wake of the closed-door deal between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin that won the latter’s crucial support for the Inflation Reduction Act.
After repeatedly slamming that “disastrous side deal” that would streamline the permitting process for energy projects across the U.S. — which Schumer agreed to include with a must-pass spending bill to fund the federal government — Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., promptly announced Thursday that he intends to oppose the funding resolution as a result.
“If the United States Congress goes on record and says, ‘Yes we are going to support more fossil fuel reduction, more carbon emissions,’ the signal we are sending to our own people and the planet is a terrible, terrible signal,” Sanders said in a floor speech.
He did not mince words with reporters afterward. Asked if he would vote no on funding the government if the Schumer-Manchin permitting deal is attached, he replied: “Yes. You’re talking about the future for the planet.”
Sanders’ opposition adds to the growing progressive pressure in the House, where some left-wing lawmakers have likewise threatened to block the government funding bill if it includes Manchin’s desired changes to energy permitting.
Sanders on Thursday read from a soon-to-be-released letter — obtained by ABC News Wednesday — that he said had been signed by “at least 59” House progressives opposing the Schumer-Manchin agreement.
That deal, Sanders said, quoting from the letter, “would silence the voices of environmental communities by insulating them from scrutiny. This would cause members to choose between protecting environmental justice communities from further pollution or funding the government. We urge you to ensure these provisions are kept out of a continuing resolution or any other must-pass legislation this year.”
Manchin has argued that permitting reform will also help speed projects related to wind, solar and other environmentally friendly sources of energy. He’s adamant that permitting reform must stay in the funding bill and, so far, he seems to have Schumer’s backing.
Despite the progressive rhetorical thunder, it is possible that the bill to fund the government — which will also include popular aid for Ukraine and disaster relief — will garner enough GOP support to render the threatened liberal blockade moot.
“It was a rank political deal,” Sen. Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the appropriations committee, told reporters Thursday of Manchin and Schumer’s agreement. But he stopped short of saying it would put government funding in jeopardy.
Still, some other Republicans are vowing to oppose the funding resolution because they oppose Schumer and Manchin’s dealmaking. Many conservatives have said they took umbrage at the last-minute nature of the deal among Democrats on the sweeping climate and health care reform legislation known as the IRA. It passed without a single GOP vote — not long after some Republicans had voted with Democrats on computer chip funding, thinking that the Democrats’ social spending bill was dead.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told ABC that “I would vote against it,” referring to government funding, and he said he was urging his Republican colleagues to do the same.
It’s not yet clear whether Republicans will unite behind Graham’s effort, but most GOP aides familiar with the matter say they do not expect that.
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice on Thursday moved to appeal a federal judge’s ruling in the dispute over documents seized from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, where the government claims highly classified records were being improperly held.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon granted Trump’s request for a special master to review what was taken, including for items that might be covered by executive privilege, even though Trump is no longer the president and has never asserted privilege over any specific records.
The ruling, which enjoined the government from further use of the seized documents as part of its criminal investigation, was widely criticized by legal experts on both sides — including Trump’s former Attorney General William Barr.
“The Court hereby authorizes the appointment of a special master to review the seized property for personal items and documents and potentially privileged material subject to claims of attorney-client and/or executive privilege,” Cannon wrote.
The DOJ’s appeal will go before the 11th Circuit.
Federal prosecutors also requested Thursday for Cannon to stay the portion of her ruling enjoining the government from further review of the documents bearing classification markings taken during the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. Cannon had required law enforcement to disclose those materials to the special master.
The DOJ said in Thursday’s court papers that if Cannon doesn’t grant a stay by Sept. 15, they will “intend to seek relief from the Eleventh Circuit.”
Trump “does not and could not assert that he owns or has any possessory interest in classified records” prosecutors wrote in a 21-page motion.
Cannon gave Trump’s team until Monday morning to respond to the request for a stay.
The DOJ is not seeking a stay on the handover of non-classified documents to an appointed special master but said that if Cannon doesn’t grant their stay it “will cause the most immediate and serious harms to the government and the public.”
Cannon noted in her previous order that the appointment of an independent third party would not impede the ongoing classification review and national security assessments being conducted by the intelligence community on what was retrieved from Trump’s home last month.
The judge had given DOJ and Trump’s team until Friday to confer and submit a joint list of proposed special master candidates and a proposed order outlining the special master’s duties and limitations.
‘Irreparable harm’
In Thursday’s motion, the DOJ repeatedly sought to undercut Cannon’s position in her ruling approving the appointment of a special master — and cited the risk of “irreparable harm” to national security and the ongoing criminal investigation if she declines to grant their request for a stay.
While they signaled they care relatively little about non-classified records seized from Mar-a-Lago being handed over to a special master, prosecutors argued that the classified records they say were found with Trump are critical to both their ongoing intelligence assessment and the criminal investigation and Trump has absolutely no legitimate legal claim to them.
While Cannon approved the intelligence community (IC) to continue with its separate evaluation of the documents, that “cannot be readily segregated” from the DOJ and FBI criminal investigation and the IC has been forced to temporarily pause its review out of an abundance of caution, prosecutors wrote.
“The application of the injunction to classified records would thus frustrate the government’s ability to conduct an effective national security risk assessment and classification review and could preclude the government from taking necessary remedial steps in light of that review—risking irreparable harm to our national security and intelligence interests,” the DOJ filing states.
They noted that the injunction could prevent the FBI from being able to identify “the existence of any additional classified records that are not being properly stored” past those that were already seized at Mar-a-Lago — reflecting investigators’ concerns that there could be more materials taken by Trump from the White House that they still have yet to recover. (ABC News previously reported federal law enforcement has some worry for the potential that classified records could potentially be somewhere other than Mar-a-Lago. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.)
“Among other things, the classified records are the very subject of the government’s ongoing investigation,” the DOJ filing states.
The department said a partial stay would not harm Trump as it wouldn’t disturb the special master’s review of any other records, including those subject to attorney-client privilege, as the government has already been able to review the classified records for a month — “which, again, indisputably belong to the government, not [Trump].”
They said that being able to use the documents that were marked classified is an essential element of their ongoing investigation, specifically with respect to the two potential crimes of unauthorized retention of national defense information — “the classified records are not merely relevant evidence; they are the very objects of the relevant criminal statute” — and obstruction: “Again, the seized classified records at issue here—each of which the subpoena plainly encompassed—are central to that investigation.”
Prosecutors wrote that if Trump believed he ever had a valid assertion of executive privilege over the documents, he had more than enough time to make such assertions including after the DOJ issued its grand jury subpoena in May.
“Instead, on June 3, 2022, Plaintiff’s counsel produced a set of classified records to the government, and Plaintiff’s custodian certified that ‘[a]ny and all responsive documents’ had been produced after a ‘diligent search,'” the filing states. “Plaintiff cannot now maintain—following the government’s seizure of additional classified records that Plaintiff failed to produce—that classified records obtained in the search, which were responsive to the grand jury subpoena, are shielded from the government’s review by executive privilege.”
In a footnote in the latest filing, DOJ officials wrote that they don’t interpret Cannon’s order as barring their department, the FBI or the Office of the Director of National Intelligence from briefing congressional leaders with intelligence oversight responsibilities regarding the records uncovered — suggesting they may seek to brief committee members at some point.
The dispute so far
Trump’s team made the request for a special master two weeks after the Aug. 8 search of his home.
The DOJ strongly opposed the request from the start, arguing the appointment would be “unnecessary and significantly harm important governmental interests, including national security interests” by causing a delay in their investigation.
The department said last week that a team tasked with identifying potential attorney-client privileged materials that were seized in the search of Mar-a-Lago had already completed its review and was in the process of addressing possible privilege disputes.
The DOJ also argued that Trump had no standing to ask for a special master because the documents “aren’t his” anymore and belong to the federal government.
“He is no longer the president and because he was no longer the president he did not have the right to take those documents,” said DOJ lawyer Jay Bratt as the two sides faced off in court on Sept. 1.
Trump’s lawyers, on the other hand, had said the third-party review was needed to deal with potentially privileged materials seized during the search, including both attorney-client and executive privilege.
Christopher Kise, a new addition to Trump’s legal team, cited a “public lack of faith” in the DOJ and “real or perceived lack of transparency” during the court appearance.
At one point, a Trump lawyer compared the former president’s refusal to turn over documents to the National Archives to an “overdue library book.”
Trump’s team has celebrated Cannon’s ruling, while a swath of legal experts and observers criticized her for going too far.
Barr, Trump’s former attorney general, criticized the decision during an appearance on Fox News: “The opinion, I think, was wrong, and I think the government should appeal it. It’s deeply flawed in a number of ways.”
ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — On the same day that former President Barack Obama returned to the White House to witness the unveiling of the new presidential portraits, a federal judge in Texas ruled against the provisions of his Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled on Wednesday on the side of plaintiffs, businesses and individuals, who wanted to deny free coverage of the HIV medication PrEP on religious grounds.
ABC News’ senior Washington reporter Devin Dwyer sat down with the ‘Start Here’ podcast to explain the legacy of Obamacare, the recent legal challenge and how far the implications could reach.
START HERE: Devin, I think enrollment season for health insurance starts in a couple months, what was this ruling?
DWYER: Yeah, and one of the most popular provisions that’s on all of our minds as we look at those healthcare plans from our employers to pick from Brad are those free preventive care services and medications that insurers are now required to cover because of Obamacare.
Things like cancer screenings and colonoscopies, vaccines, those things covered at no cost, no co-pays, of course. Well, a federal judge in Texas, Reed O’Connor, the same one who’s taken aim at Obamacare before, delivered an opinion striking down, threatening key portions of the preventive services mandate.
He said that this board of U.S. health officials, that decides what insurance companies have to cover free-of-charge, is unconstitutional. They aren’t properly appointed and confirmed by the Senate, in his view, perhaps invalidating them in all the work they do, we’ll see. He held back on the exact scope of his decision, that’s going to come a little bit later. But he also took aim, Brad, and you mentioned it, at this very popular pre-exposure prophylaxis called PrEP. It’s a prevention medicine for HIV.
He said that requiring companies, some companies, to cover that drug could violate their religious freedom. And he sided with one company, Briarwood is its name. It’s a small company, 70 employees. They had challenged this saying in their view, that by having to cover this they are endorsing sexual activity, [and] that they cannot support sexual activity, outside of marriage, among homosexual people, and they wanted to opt out. Judge Reed O’Connor said at least in their case, they don’t have to comply.
START HERE: And I know this ruling could potentially apply to lots of drugs but while we’re on this, could you just talk about what a big deal PrEP is? Because I feel like we don’t spend enough time properly awed that well, there’s not a cure for HIV. It has effectively let people live with this disease we thought was incurable in a more normal way than we ever thought possible.
DWYER: Yeah. PReP Brad has in the eyes of the CDC been a game changer. I mean, it has dramatically slowed the spread of HIV since it was rolled out about a decade ago. And it is 90% effective when taken ahead of time at preventing an HIV infection from any sort of activity. Sexual activity, drug use, a blood transfusion. You cannot, virtually, get it if you’re on this. And if you are infected and begin taking prep after the fact it’s also very effective, according to experts.
So this has been a drug that the CDC says they want more people to take. And in fact, the latest numbers, only about a quarter of at-risk, of the millions at-risk Americans who should be taking it are doing that right now. The numbers are up, but they need, you know, to be broadened.
And the CDC says access to that medication is the key. Letting more people get it cheaply, entirely free according to the mandate under Obamacare would help. And so they’re trying to obliterate HIV and AIDS in this country using this drug, but potentially now a setback with this ruling, if it stands, and if it’s as broad as some fear it might be.
START HERE: Well, that’s the thing, you had this company who said ‘we don’t want to endorse homosexual activity, it’s our, sort of, freedom of religion. So we don’t think this should be covered under our plan.’ Of course, we should say it’s not only gay people that get HIV, it’s not only men that get HIV. But if this ruling got upheld by the future courts, that are going to see it what could happen then to even going beyond HIV? What happens to preventative care in this country?
DWYER: Well, there’s two issues in this case. If the the prep decision stands, obviously a setback, but it’s unclear whether the judge would say the government simply has to provide some mechanism for an exemption for religious companies or religious-minded people who simply don’t want to opt-in to insurance plans like this.
Remember, there was a similar challenge on the law’s contraceptive mandate and similar grounds that has been challenged over the years. So perhaps there’s going to be some kind of exception. Perhaps he strikes it down altogether. We’ll have to see. But this also could potentially have a much broader impact. 140 million Americans rely and have come to enjoy, according to polls, the free preventive services, not just drugs and vaccines, but, you know, your annual physical that is supposed to be covered at no cost, no co-pay, once a year. That’s a benefit of Obamacare. If that task force, that which sets those standards is invalidated, all of that could potentially go away.
START HERE: Cause they’re the ones that sort of make the call on here’s what a regular person should have access to. All right. Fascinating stuff. Devin Dwyer, thank you.
(LAS VEGAS) — A Nevada county official has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of a Las Vegas investigative journalist, according to authorities.
Robert Telles, 45, was arrested Wednesday night following a SWAT operation at his home, officials said, after DNA evidence was found in his home that linked him to the crime scene.
Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Jeff German was found stabbed to death outside his home on Sept. 3, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Telles, who served as the Clark County public administrator, blamed German for ruining his career in politics and his marriage, prosecutors said Thursday.
Telles made his first court appearance on Thursday, where a judge granted the prosecution’s request that he be held without bail.
The judge ordered Telles, who did not speak during his court appearance, detained after noting the steps Telles allegedly took to cover up his crimes, including casing the neighborhood for over an hour, leaving his cellphone at home and dressing in disguise.
Telles was booked into Clark County Jail on a murder charge, according to inmate records. He did not enter a please on Thursday.
Police said the day before German’s murder, Telles was seen approaching German’s home, where he allegedly had an altercation with him.
Telles, police said, then left his phone at home before heading to German’s home last Saturday. Dressed in disguise, which police described him as wearing a straw hat and reflective vest, Telles allegedly stabbed the reporter seven times.
On the second day of the investigation, police got video of the suspect’s maroon GMC vehicle, which police said was the break in the case.
Police focused on Telles because of his anger over stories written by German, officials said at a press conference Thursday. Then they found a vehicle outside Telles’ home that matched the suspect’s vehicle.
In the search warrant execution at Telles’ home, they found a pair of shoes that matched the suspect’s shoes, police said. There was blood on the shoes, which police said were cut up to destroy evidence. They said they also found the straw hat cut up to allegedly destroy evidence.
Police got positive DNA results from Telles from the murder scene and they moved in to make the arrest on Wednesday. Prosecutors said that Telles’ DNA was found on German’s hands and fingernails.
Telles was taken into custody with non-life-threatening, self-inflicted stab wounds, police said.
Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said this has been an “unusual” case, and that “the killing of a journalist is particularly troublesome.”
“It is troublesome because it is a journalist. And we expect journalism to be open and transparent and the watchdog for government,” Lombardo said Thursday. “And when people take it upon themselves to create harm associated with that profession, I think it’s very important we put all eyes on and address the case appropriately such as we did in this case.”
Telles’ next hearing is set for Tuesday.
ABC News’ Connor Burton, Melissa Gaffney, Teddy Grant and Alex Presha contributed to this report.
