President Biden’s move to pardon his son Hunter has been met with criticism — from opponents and some allies. We look at what that means for his legacy.
Senate confirms promotion of general in Afghanistan withdrawal
Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue – who was seen in the viral, night vision photo showing the final American soldier out of Kabul, Afghanistan – was quietly confirmed by the Senate on Monday to lead U.S. Army forces in Europe and Africa.
Donahue, who headed the 82nd Airborne Division during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, was tapped by President Biden for the promotion to four-star general, but the confirmation was left out of a series of a hundred other military promotions green-lighted by the Senate before Thanksgiving recess. The delay was caused by one senator holding Donahue’s confirmation, according to Politico.
Several outlets reported that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., was responsible for the procedural hold.
MAJ. GEN. CHRIS DONAHUE: WHO IS THE LAST AMERICAN SOLDIER TO HAVE LEFT AFGHANISTAN?
U.S. Army Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, steps on board a C-17 transport plane as the last U.S. service member to leave Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan Aug. 30, 2021. (XVIII Airborne Corps/Handout via REUTERS)
Mullin has been a vocal critic of the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the botched withdrawal mired by the killing of 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians during a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate. Donahue was responsible for the 82nd Airborne as it was tasked with securing the airfield at the Kabul airport during evacuations before the country fell to the Taliban.
The senator called out Donahue, as well as other officials, in an Aug. 24, 2024, statement on the three-year anniversary of the suicide bombing attack.
“Three years later, not one person has been held accountable for the disaster–not Gen. Milley, Gen. McKenzie, Gen. Donahue, U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan John Pommersheim, or anyone at the State Department,” Mullin said at the time. “To this day, no one has testified before Congress as to who gave this directive. No one has been held accountable for the 13 brave American heroes who died at Abbey Gate, or the countless Americans who lost their lives trying to escape Kabul.”
President-elect Trump’s former defense secretary turned Trump critic, Mark Esper, had defended Donahue’s nomination, and urged last month for the hold to be lifted.
U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of the 82nd Airborn Division and Polish General Wojciech Marchwica speak to journalists after a US Air Force transport plane transporting military equipment and troops arrived at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland, on Feb. 6, 2022. (JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
“Responsibility for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 rests with the White House, not the Defense Dept, and certainly not with the uniformed leaders who faithfully executed Pres Biden’s misbegotten decisions,” Esper wrote on X.
ARMY UNIT POSTS PHOTO OF LAST US SOLDIER TO LEAVE AFGHANISTAN
Trump had promised on the campaign trail to fire senior officers involved in the withdrawal, though not Donahue specifically.
One U.S. official told NBC News last month that the Trump transition team was compiling a list of senior current and former U.S. military officers to be potentially court-martialed over the pullout.
A sign displaying photos and names of the 13 service members killed in a terrorist attack at Abbey Gate outside Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport is seen during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 9, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
The Senate ultimately confirmed Donahue’s promotion to be the commander of US Army Europe-Africa by unanimous consent on Monday, as the hold was dropped. Mullin had not publicly commented about the hold.
Donahue has headed the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, since 2022.
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He has also been leader of the Special Operations Joint Task Force Afghanistan and served as the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s deputy director for special operations and counterterrorism.
Donald Trump; Popular vote totals; Oxford brain rot : NPR
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Today’s top stories
President Biden is facing criticism, even from some allies, for pardoning his son Hunter Biden. They say Biden is undermining his arguments that no one is above the law. The “full and unconditional” pardon for Hunter was given after the president said many times he would not do it. Biden is now the third president to pardon a relative.
President Joe Biden and Hunter Biden, pictured in Nantucket, Mass., on Friday. Days later Biden announced he had pardoned his son, who was awaiting sentencing in criminal cases related to tax evasion and gun charges.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 Republicans have been quick to criticize Biden. House Speaker Mike Johnson has blamed him for damaging trust in the justice system, NPR’s Asma Khalid tells Up First. Some Democrats are also frustrated and point out that Hunter was convicted by a jury of his peers. Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado denounced Biden’s decision, telling Khalid that there’s already a feeling in America that powerful people live by a different set of rules, and the pardon feeds into that. Bennet said he’s worried about how this could embolden President-elect Donald Trump. Many have also defended Biden, and some have even insisted there’s a double standard in how people are judging his versus Trump’s morality.
- ➡️ After his announcement, Biden headed overseas to Angola for what’s expected to be his final foreign trip. Here’s why he’s making the visit.
For many, it may seem like the rapid rebel advancement into Syria came out of nowhere. But the rebel offensive is part of a series of events that have been brewing in the Middle East for more than a year. Rebels captured Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, and pushed south for several days toward the capital. Collectively, the conflicts in the Middle East have destabilized the wider region and helped reignite the civil war in Syria that had been in a stalemate for years.
- 🎧 NPR’s Greg Myre says Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 of last year and the ensuing show of support for Hamas from the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah are linked to what is happening now. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad tried to keep a low profile during these conflicts. The main rebel force, HTS, a group once linked to al-Qaida, saw Syria’s allies weakened and distracted and launched an offensive against the Syrian government troops. HTS isn’t claiming territory like it was in the past few days and could become stretched too thin if Syrian forces can regroup to counterattack.
The margin for the popular vote in this year’s presidential election is the second-closest since 1968, and it’s still tightening. With 96% of the vote in, Trump has 49.97% and Vice President Harris has 48.36%, according to the Associated Press. These results show that Trump doesn’t exactly have the “unprecedented and powerful mandate” he claimed on election night. The margin shows how closely divided the country is politically and that any shift to the right is marginal. Here’s what these results mean, plus a graphic that breaks down the popular vote throughout the years.
Today’s listen
NPR Music has released its list of the 50 best albums of the year. It’s peppered with some of the industry’s biggest stars as well as some wildly inventive newcomers, underground favorites and elders making vital statements. The genres on the list cover a mix of hip-hop, classical, Afrobeats, pop and more. Morning Edition host A Martínez spoke with NPR Music critic Ann Powers about the team’s decision process, albums on the list she enjoys and an album she wrote about.
Life advice
Left: Halima Ali Adam, A chadian woman lives near Farchana, sits with her baby, Iqbal Abubakr Yaqub, who is 15 months old, at the malnutrition clinic. They’ve been there for 13 days and seen little improvement in the baby’s condition. Right: A person walks through a flooded road after Hurricane Helene hit the area as it passed offshore on September 27, 2024 in Crystal River, Florida. Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday night in Florida’s Big Bend with winds up to 140 mph and storm surges.
Claire Harbage/NPR; Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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Claire Harbage/NPR; Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Giving Tuesday is a global call for generosity inspired by Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Thousands of charities are asking for donations. This year, the world’s array of disasters has added to the humanitarian needs. If you want to donate to a charity, here’s how to make sure your donation counts, according to experts in humanitarian aid.
- 💰 Never give to a brand-new charity without a track record. Sources like BBBWise and Charity Navigator can help you check for its track record.
- 💰 You should receive a receipt for your donation for tax purposes. If you don’t, something is amiss.
- 💰 Giving cash instead of items allows organizations the flexibility to support what is needed at all stages of a crisis.
Check out the full list of guidelines for giving.
3 things to know before you go
A snowplow on rounds in Lowville, N.Y., on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. The region is cleaning up after feet of snow.
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Cara Anna/AP
- Officials are warning of travel impacts and dangerous conditions as heavy snowfall continues to bury portions of the Northeast and upper Midwest this week.
- “Brain rot” is the Oxford University Press’s word or phrase of 2024. Influential philosopher Henry David Thoreau, born more than 200 years ago, is credited for the term.
- Three years ago, Clarice, who was 14, was admitted to the hospital during a mental crisis. After nearly 12 hours of questioning, two EMTs became her unsung heroes because they did not talk to her about what happened but instead provided her with a bit of light during her ambulance ride.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
Claire McCaskill laments that Hunter Biden pardon gives ‘ammunition’ to Republicans: ‘I just hate it’
Former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill on Monday lamented the “ammunition” President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter will give to Trump world.
“When I saw this pardon last night, I kind of wished I wasn’t going to be on TV today. Although, if I was going to be on TV, I’m sure glad I’m on TV with you,” McCaskill said to Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House.”
“Here’s the thing,” she added. “Do I understand Joe Biden’s pardon? Yes, completely. I get it. It’s completely understandable. But the ‘both sides’ folks out there have just gotten some really powerful ammunition. And for that reason, I hate it.”
She added that she doesn’t “blame” Biden for what he did, calling him a “wonderful man” who “loves his family desperately.” Despite that, she regretted how he had repeatedly insisted he would not pardon his son.
MSNBC analyst Claire McCaskill explained how she hated that President Biden pardoning his son will be used by Republicans. (MSNBC screenshot)
LIBERAL MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR SPEECHLESS OVER HUNTER BIDEN PARDON: ‘I HAVE TO PROCESS IT … I’M SORRY’
She said, “For him to say repeatedly he would not do this and then do it, it allows the side of the mountain of lies and scandal — I mean, the infinite amount of horrible corruption and lack of integrity that just peppers the world of Trump — it somehow allows them to say, ‘Well, see, he’s just the same, Joe Biden is no different.’”
“Yes, Joe Biden is different than Donald Trump. He is not the same,” McCaskill said. “I just wish that Biden would have said all along, ‘I will pardon my son because this is a political persecution.’ The fact that he said he wouldn’t and that he did now, I hate that. I just hate it.”
Biden announced that he pardoned his son Sunday night, claiming that the charges against Hunter were unfair.
Biden previously said he would not pardon his son Hunter after his federal trials last year. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” Biden said in a statement. “From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted.”
The announcement came after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had insisted multiple times over the last few years that he would accept the result of Hunter’s federal trials.
Other Democrats and liberal media figures also criticized Biden’s decision, even while defending the president.
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“For those of us who have been out there for a few years now yelling about what a unique threat Donald Trump is, for Joe Biden to do something like this: nobody’s above the law, we’ve been screaming,” former Congressman Joe Walsh said on MSNBC Sunday night.
Biden argued the prosecution against his son was unfair. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
He added, “Donald Trump lies every time he opens his mouth, we’ve been screaming. Joe Biden repeatedly lied about this. The politicization of the justice system, Donald Trump and his people have been screaming. That’s exactly what Biden said here.”
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Trial date set for Brian Walshe in murder of missing real estate executive wife
A Massachusetts man accused of killing his wife and dismembering her body appeared in court for a hearing on Monday afternoon, when a judge set a trial date for October of next year.
Ana Walshe, a mother of three young children and a real estate professional who worked in Washington, D.C., disappeared on New Year’s Day 2023 and was reported missing a few days later. Her body was never recovered.
Prosecutors and investigators allege her husband, Brian Walshe, murdered 39-year-old Ana in January 2023 and misled authorities about her disappearance.
UPDATED DETAILED TIMELINE OF ANA WALSHE’S DISAPPEARANCE AND BRIAN WALSHE’S ARREST
Brian and Ana Walshe pose in Boston Public Gardens in Boston on their wedding day, Monday, Dec. 21, 2015. Brian is accused of killing Ana in January 2023. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Judge Diane Freniere on Monday set Walshe’s trial date for Oct. 21, 2025 during a hearing held at the Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham. The judge said she expects the trial to take no longer than four weeks.
Walshe appeared in court on Monday wearing glasses, a blue suit with an aqua tie, and a white dress shirt, and his hands were shackled.
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During the hearing, the defense asked that prosecutors look into any potential police bias, given that the lead investigator in the Walshe case was Trooper Michael Proctor, who was also the lead in the Karen Read case, which ended in a mistrial after inappropriate texts of his came out during testimony.
Proctor has since been suspended without pay after he admitted to unprofessional behavior in that case, including disparaging comments about Read.
The prosecution agreed to ask investigators if they know of any records like emails or text messages from law enforcement officers that would indicate a bias when it comes to handling of the Walshe case, as well as if any information was lost or destroyed.
ANA WALSHE MURDER: HUSBAND BRIAN WALSHE THREW OUT HACKSAW WITH POTENTIAL KEY PIECE OF EVIDENCE: DOCS
Ana Walshe holds her three children in an October 2022 Instagram post. (Ana Walshe/Instagram)
Walshe was indicted in March 2023 on charges of first-degree murder, misleading police and improper transport of a human body. He pleaded not guilty to accusations that he beat his wife to death in their Cohasset home, dismembered and discarded her body.
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Store surveillance footage shows Walshe at a Home Depot, buying various items, including three mops and brushes, two splash-resistant goggles and a utility knife, which investigators believe he used to dispose of her body, according to court records.
Authorities also searched trash bins and dumpsters in the areas where Brian Walshe traveled following Ana’s disappearance.
SUSPECTED WIFE KILLER BRIAN WALSHE DODGES ONE LEGAL BULLET AS MURDER CASE WAITS FOR DNA
Brian Walshe, accused of killing wife Ana, who disappeared on New Year’s Day 2023, enters the courtroom for his arraignment, Thursday, April 27, 2023 in Dedham, Massachusetts. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)
Left, Brian Walshe in Quincy District Court on Jan. 18, 2023. Ana Walshe, right, on her wedding day in Emmanuel Episcopal church on Newbury Street in Boston on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool; Obtained by Fox News Digital)
During the search for Ana, investigators found a hacksaw that had a “small bone fragment” on it in a dumpster across the street from Walshe’s mother’s house. Other evidence found in the dumpster included Ana’s COVID vaccination card, a Hermes watch and Gucci necklace that she was known to wear, Hunter boots, a black Prada purse, and a short black coat, according to court records.
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Walshe also allegedly used his son’s iPad to make over a dozen Google searches in the days after his wife’s disappearance, centered around discarding a body, prosecutors said.
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A motion hearing regarding DNA testing has been scheduled for Jan. 8, 2025.
Fox News’ Chris Eberhart contributed to this report.
Trump gets less than 50% in popular vote, but it’s tight : NPR
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an election overnight event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in Florida on Nov. 6.
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President-elect Donald Trump got very close to a majority of the vote in this presidential election, but not quite. It is not exactly the “unprecedented and powerful mandate” Trump claimed on election night.
In fact, this year’s popular-vote margin is the second-closest since 1968 and still tightening. It shows just how closely divided the country is politically, and that any shift to the right is marginal.
Republicans are likely to have the same or a slightly smaller House majority as they have now, and despite new GOP control of the Senate, there is evidence that many Republicans in key states voted for Trump but not necessarily for Republican Senate candidates.
With 96% of the vote in, Trump has, according to the Associated Press, 49.97% to Vice President Harris’ 48.36%, or 76.9 million votes to 74.4 million. (The U.S. Election Atlas has a higher raw vote total and a slightly narrower margin, 49.78% to 48.23, or 77.1 million votes to 74.7 million.)
It’s the highest percentage Trump has received in his three runs at the presidency. (He got just less than 46% in 2016 and less than 47% in 2020.) Votes are still being counted, including provisional and overseas ballots across the country.
The 2000 election was decided by just 0.51 percentage points with then-Vice President Al Gore winning the popular vote but losing in the Electoral College to George W. Bush. The 2024 margin may very well get slightly closer, as the provisional ballots have favored Harris and they are coming from blue states like California, Oregon and New York.
Of course, U.S. presidential elections are not decided by the popular vote; they are decided by the Electoral College. And on that score, Trump had a fairly wide 312 to 226 Electoral College victory, the widest since 2012.
In 2016, Trump also won in the Electoral College but lost the popular vote by 3 million to Democrat Hillary Clinton. A reason for Trump’s popular-vote gains this time is that Harris was well below President Biden’s 2020 vote totals in blue states.
Just in New York and California, Harris was off Biden’s totals by almost 3 million votes. And most of that was not vote-switching. In New York, Harris was off by about 900,000 votes, but Trump only gained about 200,000 from his 2020 total. In California, Harris got roughly 1.9 million fewer votes than Biden, but Trump only got about 60,000 more.
Often turnout is lower outside of the states that get most of the political attention. This election saw the most political advertising dollars in the smallest field of states. Overall in this election, turnout was just slightly lower than in 2020 at about 63.8%, the second highest in the last 100 years.
This year, three of the top turnout states were those formerly Blue Wall states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Minnesota, Virginia and New Hampshire were also within 5 points and had been considered potentially competitive states.
The lowest turnout rates were in Hawaii, Oklahoma, Arkansas, West Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, New York, Indiana and Alabama — all noncompetitive states, either very red or very blue.
Missing American man, 72, may have fallen overboard on Princess Cruise
A 72-year-old American man disappeared while traveling on a Princess Cruise ship, and officials suspect he fell overboard during his time on the ship.
A search began on Monday at about 7 a.m. after the Ruby Princess Cruise ship docked in San Francisco and crews realized the man could not be found onboard, according to the cruise line.
The cruise ship left for Ensenada, Mexico, on Nov. 27.
RUSSIAN TOURIST DIES AFTER BEING SWEPT AWAY BY MASSIVE WAVE WHILE DOING YOGA IN THAILAND
The cruise ship left for Ensenada, Mexico, on Nov. 27. (Getty Images)
The man was traveling alone on the cruise. It remains unclear when he may have gone overboard.
“Princess worked throughout the day with local authorities. CCTV footage has also been extensively reviewed and the ship was searched thoroughly several times without success,” a spokesperson for the cruise line told the New York Post.
WOMAN IN HER 60S SELLS HOME, QUITS JOB TO TRAVEL THE WORLD: ‘I DON’T GET FRIGHTENED EASILY’
The missing man was traveling alone on the cruise. (Getty Images)
“Having ruled out other possibilities, this is being treated as a man overboard incident,” the spokesperson added.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is investigating the incident, a spokesperson for the cruise line told KTVU. The spokesperson said Princess Cruises is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is investigating the incident. (Getty Images)
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The U.S. Coast Guard told the outlet that as of Monday at about 5:30 p.m., they had suspended their search for the missing man.
Prince Andrew’s surprise secret source of money is a no-brainer, experts claim
King Charles is said to be extending a generous olive branch to his scandal-plagued sibling.
Charlotte Griffiths, the Mail on Sunday’s editor-at-large, claimed that the monarch is the secret source who paid Prince Andrew’s rent, allowing the disgraced Duke of York to stay at his palatial Royal Lodge home.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of “My Mother and I,” agrees with Griffiths’ scoop. Buckingham Palace didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
KING CHARLES TO STRIP PRINCE ANDREW OF ‘TREASURES’ FROM $38M ROYAL NEST AMID EVICTION WAR
According to reports, King Charles is the secret source who paid Prince Andrew’s rent, allowing the disgraced Duke of York to stay at his palatial Royal Lodge home. (Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images)
“There’s absolutely no doubt that Charles is the one who is providing the money for Andrew because the [late] queen wouldn’t have left Andrew bereft,” Seward explained to Fox News Digital.
“She would’ve made a provision for him, and maybe that provision came through his elder brother as monarch,” she shared. “When the king dies or the queen dies, the money goes to the next monarch. Everything goes to the next monarch. So, she either would have made provisions for Andrew before she died, or she would’ve made provisions through Charles.”
“I believe that Charles is helping him,” Seward continued. “I don’t see who else would. I’m sure [Andrew’s ex-wife] Fergie would help him. I know Fergie does very well with her books, but I [can’t] imagine she would make enough to run Royal Lodge on her own.”
WATCH: QUEEN ELIZABETH ‘REMAINED INCREDIBLY CLOSE’ TO PRINCE ANDREW ‘RIGHT UP UNTIL HER DEATH,’ ROYAL AUTHOR CLAIMS
“… I certainly think that the only person who could really be doing this is either monies from the queen or monies from the king,” she said.
Griffiths claimed that, according to “multiple sources,” the king “has personally cleared his errant brother’s bills for his upkeep and promised his Royal Lodge woes would be taken care of, enabling him to stay there for the foreseeable future.”
The editor also claimed that someone at a “glamorous — and usually ultra-discreet — dinner table” told her that “Charles has paid for it all.”
“I believe that Charles is helping him. I don’t see who else would. I’m sure [Andrew’s ex-wife] Fergie would help him. I know Fergie does very well with her books, but I [can’t] imagine she would make enough to run Royal Lodge on her own.”
King Charles III arrives for a reception at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 6, 2024, in London. (Jordan Pettitt – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“The King has cleared it. It’s all done,” the source claimed.
The palace insider, “who’s been a guest at Royal Lodge in years gone by,” claimed that not only did Charles handle the finances, but none of the funds came from taxpayer money.
The Sunday Times previously reported that Andrew, 64, raised enough money to live in Royal Lodge. The estate is worth a reported $38 million. According to the outlet, the prince’s funds were approved by the Keeper of the Privy Purse as coming from “legitimate sources.”
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Prince Andrew, Duke of York, has attempted to keep a low profile at Royal Lodge. (Steve Parsons/Getty Images)
“The Duke of York, or Prince Andrew as we like to call him, always lived in a palace,” said Seward. “He was in the navy, yes, but apart from being in the navy, he’s always lived in a palace. He lived in Buckingham Palace, and then his home was Royal Lodge, which is a very grand home – and he doesn’t want to leave it.”
“I think King Charles… said to him, ‘Andrew, it would be so much better if you moved out of Royal Lodge and moved into Frogmore Cottage… because it’s been modernized inside. It’s been beautifully done up. It’s easy to run. It’s not expensive to run. And you’re within the security of the Windsor Castle compound, so it’s not going to cost millions in security. But Andrew said, ‘No, I want to stay here.’”
Seward noted that funding to maintain Royal Lodge includes maintaining over 30 rooms and over 50 acres of gardens.
Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, England, was the former U.K. home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. (Getty Images)
“It’s not just a little house in the middle of nowhere,” said Seward. “It is huge and therefore needs a lot of upkeep. But I think that there’s no way he and Charles would’ve had a row about it because Charles isn’t like that.”
“He wouldn’t have said, ‘You’ve got to get out,'” Seward insisted. “He would’ve suggested why it would be easier to get out. And Andrew said, ‘No, I want to stay.’ So, Charles said, ‘Fine, but I’m going to have to remove this very expensive security, and we’ll need to find an alternative.'”
It’s also believed that Charles tried to use a loophole to get Andrew out of Royal Lodge.
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Queen Elizabeth II, England’s longest-reigning monarch, died in 2022. She was 96. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
According to the Sunday Times, the king, 76, would have covered his brother’s living expenses if he moved into Frogmore Cottage, the former U.K. home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. After Andrew reportedly refused to downsize, the king axed his allowance.
Andrew has been living on the estate since 2004. He resides there with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
According to reports, he has spent over $9 million on repairs and renovations and $1 million to take it over. His annual rent is a reported $337,000. The property requires an estimated $503,000 annually for upkeep.
Prince Andrew lives in Royal Lodge with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. (Gareth Fuller/Getty Images)
The Sunday Times reported that the king didn’t renew the contract for Andrew’s private security team. The monarch was paying for Andrew’s security after the prince lost his police protection in 2022. The security team is said to cost Charles nearly $4 million annually.
At the time, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told Fox News Digital the palace wouldn’t comment on “security matters.”
“The Crown Estate would’ve loved to get Andrew out of Royal Lodge because they could rent the whole thing,” said Seward. “It needs to be seen as making money. And as long as Andrew lives in Royal Lodge, that’s preventing them from making as much [money] as they could. It’s just too bad that he is the late queen’s second son.”
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Prince Andrew is seen here at Westminster Abbey with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on March 29, 2022. (Richard Pohle – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
While the duke secured a real estate win, Seward noted, “I don’t think the future holds anything for Prince Andrew.”
“He has to do something, but for the last five years he’s been doing absolutely nothing,” she said.
“… If he was my son, I’d say, ‘I’m going to give you a beautiful farm in Scotland. Go up there and go into farming and just disappear from life as we know it.’ You can still have a wonderful life, but Andrew doesn’t want to do that.”
Prince Andrew’s funds were approved by the Keeper of the Privy Purse as coming from legitimate sources. (DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)
“There’s an old-fashioned expression, which is ‘hoist with your own petard,’ which means you’re strangled by your wishes,” Seward added.
But Andrew isn’t alone.
Hello! Magazine reported that his two daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, have been “taking turns” spending weekends with him and bringing their children “to boost his spirits.”
KING CHARLES CUTS PRINCE ANDREW’S $1 MILLION ALLOWANCE, PRIVATE SECURITY: BOOK
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson share two daughters, Princess Beatrice, left, and Princess Eugenie, right. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
“They are spending far more time with him now than they have done in recent years,” a source claimed to the outlet. “They are quite close to their father; they seem to be quite protective towards him.”
British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital that Andrew has attempted to keep a low profile at Royal Lodge.
“Family and the few friends he has left have been incredibly worried about his fragile state and well-being,” she claimed, adding that the prince had been “isolated.”
King Charles III, who is battling cancer, reportedly invited Prince Andrew to Sandringham for Christmas. (Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
“His one savior is his immediate family,” she said. “… He has a revived sense of energy and purpose through his grandchildren. He’s even been spotted teaching his 3-year-old granddaughter, Sienna, how to ride horses. This will bring him great joy, especially as his mother, the late queen, enjoyed riding horses at the same age.”
Chard also claimed that the king, who was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, “has put any animosity between himself and Prince Andrew [behind]” by extending an invitation to Sandringham. The country retreat is where the royals gather every year to celebrate Christmas.
“For the time being, it seems Prince Andrew has the suitable funds to continue living at Royal Lodge,” she said. “… [We] will continue to ask questions and piece fragmented pieces of the jigsaw together.”
Prince Andrew, right, attempted to address his connection with late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, left, who died in 2019. (Getty Images)
Andrew stepped back from royal duties in 2019 after his Newsnight interview.
During the disastrous televised sit-down, he attempted to address his connection to late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He was also stripped of his honorary military titles.
A lawsuit filed in 2020 by Virginia Roberts Giuffre accused Andrew of sexually exploiting her on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17. Andrew has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre holds a photo of herself as a teen, when she alleges she was abused by Jeffrey Epstein. (Emily Michot/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
In 2022, a U.S. judge dismissed the sex abuse lawsuit against Andrew, who settled with Giuffre. The prince made a substantial donation to his accuser’s charity and declared he never meant to malign her character.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Florida man accused of breaking into home, stabbing woman while she was sleeping inside
A Florida man is facing charges after he allegedly broke into a woman’s home, stabbed her while she was sleeping and attempted to run away from deputies.
Bonnier Jose Sarmiento Lanza, 33, on Sunday broke into a woman’s home on New York Drive in Tice, Florida, and stabbed her multiple times while she was sleeping, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Lanza also hit another person inside the home before fleeing the scene.
FLORIDA ‘SUITCASE KILLER’ RECEIVES SENTENCE AFTER SUFFOCATING BOYFRIEND DURING ‘HIDE-AND-SEEK GAME’
Bonnier Jose Sarmiento Lanza, 33, is charged with two counts of burglary with battery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
Responding deputies offered medical assistance to the woman, who suffered multiple wounds, as the sheriff’s office’s drone unit attempted to locate the fleeing suspect from the sky.
Drone footage shows Lanza walking through a neighborhood as deputies track him down and detain him.
The woman is listed in stable condition. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
“I am proud of the deputies and drone operator who located and quickly apprehended this violent, fleeing suspect,” Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a statement. “Once again, technology and dedicated patrol deputies working together get results.”
The woman is listed in stable condition, according to the sheriff’s office.
The suspect and the woman knew each other, the sheriff’s office said. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)
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The sheriff’s office said Lanza and the woman knew each other.
Lanza is charged with two counts of burglary with battery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Laura Ingraham calls out Biden family corruption after Hunter’s pardon
Fox News host Laura Ingraham reacts to President Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden on “The Ingraham Angle.”
LAURA INGRAHAM: Given what we’ve learned over the years about the long-term corruption and deception of the Biden family, the Corleones have nothing on them. Exactly no one on earth with a functioning brain should have been surprised by Joe Biden’s Thanksgiving pardon for his son, Hunter.
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BIDEN PARDONS SON HUNTER BIDEN AHEAD OF EXIT FROM OVAL OFFICE
The key thing here is everyone knew that Biden was lying. Yet, because they knew it would hurt Biden politically and then help Trump, the entire political media establishment pretended otherwise. We’re all enablers and everyone here is exposed-Biden, the media, Democrat staffers.
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We know why they pretended otherwise. Come on. They never believed Biden had clean hands here, that he was some paragon of constitutional, or any other type of virtue. They never thought Trump was a threat to democracy, but they railed against Trump’s claims that the DOJ was politicized.