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In the news today: Britain’s prime minister suggests former Prince Andrew should speak to Americans investigating Jeffrey Epstein; the Trump administration is set to label Maduro-tied Cartel de los Soles as a terror organization; and how the shrinking turkey population is expected to cause wholesale prices to rise 44%. Also, Pope Leo XIV reveals his Wordle strategy. |
FILE - Britain's Prince Andrew speaks during a television interview at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge in Windsor, 2021. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP, File) |
Former Prince Andrew should testify in US investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, UK leader suggests |
Pressure is increasing for the former Prince Andrew to give evidence to a U.S. congressional committee investigating the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after Britain’s prime minister suggested he should testify. Keir Starmer declined to comment directly about King Charles III’s disgraced younger brother, but told reporters that as a “general principle” people should provide evidence to investigators. Read more.
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“I don’t comment on his particular case,’’ Starmer said. “But as a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it.’’
The former prince, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has so far ignored a request from members of the House Oversight Committee for a “transcribed interview” about his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein. Andrew was stripped of his royal titles and honors last month as the royal family tried to insulate itself from criticism about his relationship with Epstein.
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Starmer’s comments came after Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the committee’s ranking Democrat, and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat from Virginia, said Andrew “continues to hide” from serious questions.
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US set to label Maduro-tied Cartel de los Soles as a terror organization. It’s not a cartel per se |
President Donald Trump’s administration is set to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday by designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization. But the entity that the U.S. government alleges is led by Maduro is not a cartel per se. Read more. |
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The designation is the latest measure in the Trump administration’s escalating campaign to combat drug trafficking into the U.S. In previewing the step about a week ago, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, of being “responsible for terrorist violence” in the Western Hemisphere.
Venezuelans began using the term Cartel de los Soles in the 1990s to refer to high-ranking military officers who had grown rich from drug-running. As corruption later expanded nationwide, first under the late President Hugo Chávez and then under Maduro, its use loosely expanded to police and government officials as well as activities like illegal mining and fuel trafficking.
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“It is not a group,” said Adam Isaacson, director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America organization. “It’s not like a group that people would ever identify themselves as members. They don’t have regular meetings. They don’t have a hierarchy.”
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Stores keep prices down in a tough year for turkeys. Other Thanksgiving foods may cost more |
The shrinking turkey population is expected to cause wholesale prices to rise 44% this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Read more. |
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Despite the increase, many stores are offering discounted or even free turkeys to soften the potential blow to Thanksgiving meal budgets. But even if the bird is cheaper than last year, the ingredients to prepare the rest of the holiday feast may not be. Tariffs on imported steel, for example, have increased prices for canned goods.
As of Nov. 17, a basket of 11 Thanksgiving staples — including a 10-pound frozen turkey, 10 Russet potatoes, a box of stuffing and cans of corn, green beans and cranberry sauce – cost $58.81, or 4.1% more than last year, according to Datasembly, a market research company that surveys weekly prices at 150,000 U.S. stores.
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Avian viruses are the main culprit. But another reason for turkey’s higher wholesale prices has been an increase in consumer demand as other meats have gotten more expensive, according to Mark Jordan, the executive director of Leap Market Analytics. Beef prices were up 14% in September compared with last year, for example.
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