The Daily Moth 1-20-2020
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Hello, welcome to The Daily Moth! It is Monday, January 20, which is when we honor Martin Luther King Jr. Hope your weekend was good. Ready for news?
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Updates on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
On Saturday, Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K. announced that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will no longer have “His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) titles” because they are “no longer working members of the Royal Family.”
A few weeks ago the couple announced they wanted to step away from their royal duties, become financially independent, and split their time between North America and the U.K.
The Queen said the couple would still keep Frogmore Cottage, but will have to repay several million dollars they spent in taxpayers funds to renovate it. The couple will also no longer earn salaries for their royal duties.
Harry will still be a prince. It appears the couple will live in Canada, but it is not known what they will do and who will pay for security. Meghan is in Vancouver Island.
Prince Harry gave a speech yesterday and said this move was a “leap of faith” and that he hoped to be able to continue to serve the Queen and related duties without depending on public funding, but found that it was not possible and that it “brings him great sadness that it has come to this.” He said there was really no other option.
Meghan is with their son Archie and Harry will join them soon.
It seems like the main reasons for the Sussexes’ departure from their royal duties are to relieve the pressure of media scrutiny and to have more business opportunities.
https://www.royal.uk/statement-her-majesty-queen-0 https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/megan-markle-prince-harry-lose-their-hrh-titles-as-they-are-no-longer-working-members-of-the-royal-family-192104894.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/20/monday-briefing-harrys-great-sadness-at-stepping-away
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Two Honolulu police officers fatally shot
On Sunday two Honolulu, Hawaii police officers were shot and killed.
CNN reported that it started with a call for officers to go to a home in Waikiki because there was a woman who needed help.
One officer arrived and found a woman who was stabbed. Two more officers came to the home and when the three of them were walking on the driveway, a suspect named Jerry Hanel shot at them.
Officer Tiffany Enriquez was wounded and later died. When more officers came to the scene, the suspect shot at them again, killing another officer, Kaulike Kalama.
As officers surrounded the home, the house started to catch on fire and the fire spread to completely destroy seven homes and caused general damage in the area.
The suspect, Hanel, is in his 60’s and TIME reported that he was facing eviction and that the woman who was stabbed was his landlord.
The body of the suspect and two adult females are believed to be in the remains of the burned-down home, but police said they would not stop searching for the suspect until they have confirmation they’ve found him.
It seems like the landlord will recover from her wounds.
News pictures and video show a large blaze in a neighborhood that is right on a beach with smoke rising above high-rise condos.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige said “our entire state mourns the loss of two Honolulu Police officers.”
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/19/us/active-shooter-honolulu-hawaii/index.html
https://time.com/5768115/2-police-officers-shot-hawaii/
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/01/19/multiple-honolulu-police-officers-injured-shooting-near-diamond-head/
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New deadly virus in China
There are news reports that there is a new virus that is spreading in China with over 200 cases. Three people have died.
BBC News said the virus first appeared in Wuhan, a city with 11 million people, in December and that it is a strain of coronavirus that causes viral pneumonia.
Scientists have not figured out where the virus came from but think the most likely cause is an animal-to-human transmission.
There are new cases of people infected in Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. Major airports in Asia and the United States said they are now screening passengers from Wuhan.
BBC explained that the well-known SARS virus that killed 774 people in the early 2000’s is a coronavirus, so there is a good reason to be concerned.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said the virus must be contained and his administration said they are working with all parties to deal with the virus.
China will soon have their busiest travel period of the year for the Lunar New Year holidays.
The signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51171035
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Virginia gun rights rally
There were thousands of gun rights activists that assembled in Richmond, Virginia today to protest against the state legislature’s proposals for gun control. Democrats currently control the legislature.
News pictures show many people openly carrying large rifles while wearing tactical vests and carrying ammunition.
The Virginia legislature has proposed a ban on AR-type or military type rifles, a “red flag” law (which would allow police or authorities to confiscate weapons from people deemed a threat), and other gun control proposals.
President Trump tweeted support for the rally-goers, telling them that Democrats are working hard to take away their 2nd Amendment rights and to “VOTE REPUBLICAN in 2020!
Why today? It is “Lobby Day,” which is an opportunity for activists to meet with politicians to drum up support for a cause.
There were fears that the day would become violent — which is why Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency and a weapons ban from Capitol Square. So far, there have been no reports of violence.
ABC News reported that armed activists stayed outside of the Capitol grounds while unarmed members had a rally outside of the legislative building.
The gun control debate is expected to continue over the next few months.
https://www.axios.com/richmond-virginia-second-amendment-rally-21d1a503-037a-4916-890f-a11c3bf03147.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/authorities-brace-massive-gun-rights-rally-richmond-virginia/story?id=68328504
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That is all for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!