UK Grapples With New Royal Scandal

Good Monday morning. Experts say today is the best day of the week to exercise. Enjoy!

In Today’s Brief

• Houston: Party shooting

• South Korea: Yoon impeached

• Pelosi: Overseas accident

• Macy’s: More closings

• Heisman Trophy: Winner announced

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Palace intrigue

Prince Andrew is at the center of another scandal.

• The news: An alleged Chinese spy who reportedly had close ties to King Charles' embattled brother was banned from the United Kingdom. The prince said he had ceased contact and never discussed sensitive topics. But the unnamed man is accused of using the Duke of York to gain access to the Royal Family and other high-ranking British officials.

• Key context: Reports indicate the prince recently lined up private funding to avoid eviction from his Royal Lodge home after the king severed his allowance. MI5 is reportedly probing the prince's ties to the accused spy and the UK's diplomatic relationship with China is currently strained.

• Big picture: The prince has become a pariah ever since he was tied to disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein and accused of having sex with an underage girl, eventually entering a confidential settlement agreement. But the king had refrained from cutting him off entirely. Royal watchers now wonder if this is the last straw, as well as what other fallout may occur.

2) Storm tragedy

A steep death toll is feared after a cyclone tore through a French territory in the Indian Ocean.

• The news: Mayotte -- which sits between the coasts of Madagascar and Mozambique -- was devastated by Cyclone Chido over the weekend. It was the worst cyclone to hit the island in almost a century.

• The aftermath: Officials said hundreds or even thousands of people are feared dead. International rescue crews are rushing to offer aid, but Mayotte's airports suffered significant damage. There are also issues with clean drinking water and electricity. Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed.

• Big picture: It will be difficult for authorities to establish an accurate death toll. Most residents on the island are Muslim, so religious burial traditions will complicate surveys. There are also about 100K people who live in seclusion and are unlikely to seek assistance; about a third of the population.

3) Mea culpa

ABC News will pay $16M to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by President-elect Donald Trump.

• Catch up: Trump sued the network after top anchor George Stephanopoulos said on air in March that the president-elect was found civilly liable for rape. He repeated the comment 10 times during an interview with South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace.

• At issue: A federal jury found Trump civilly liable in 2023 for sexually assaulting writer E. Jean Carroll. The decision did not find him liable for rape based on the technicalities of New York state law. But the presiding judge wrote the jury had nonetheless found Trump liable for behavior most people would consider rape.

• The news: ABC and Stephanopoulos have issued apologies for his comments. The network will make a $15M donation to a non-profit organization to be applied toward Trump's future presidential library and pay $1M in Trump legal fees. Stephanopoulos and Trump were both set to be deposed this week.

• Big picture: ABC has come under fire for settling. Some critics have argued it is capitulating to the incoming president and shirking its responsibility as an independent press organization by conceding a legal battle that it likely would have won (albeit expensively).

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• Two teenagers were killed and three injured in a Houston shooting. Police said the incident occurred at a pop-up party at an illegal nightclub organized on social media; no suspects have been identified (More)

• New York Sen. Chuck Schumer called for the deployment of federal drone detection systems to his state and New Jersey. The White House claims the bulk of mysterious sightings in the states are likely misidentified airplanes (More | More)

• The alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO assassin hired a prominent defense attorney. Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a former top prosecutor for the Manhattan District Attorney, will represent Luigi Mangione in his murder trial for killing Brian Thompson (More)

World News

• South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached over his failed martial law decree. The country's Constitutional Court has up to 180 days to decide whether to remove him from office or restore his powers; Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is now acting president (More)

• Francois Bayrou is France's new prime minister. The centrist politician is a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron; he could face an immediate non-confidence vote in the National Assembly amid the country's continued political chaos (More)

• Canada's government has moved to end a national postal worker strike. Around 55K Canada Post employers have been picketing for over a month; they will be forced back to work if a labor deal is not reached in the coming days (More)

Political News

• California Rep. Nancy Pelosi had hip replacement surgery after falling while overseas. The 84-year-old former Speaker of the House was traveling in Luxembourg to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge (More)

• No House committee will have a female leader for the first time in 20 years. All 17 standing committees will be led by white male Republicans when the 119th Congress takes office early next year (More)

• President-elect Trump renewed his push to end daylight savings time, calling it "inconvenient, and very costly to our nation." Trump initially supported the idea in 2019; the Senate GOP passed a bill ending the practice in 2022, but it died in the House (More)

Business & Markets

• Major indexes closed mixed on Friday. The Nasdaq eked out a slight gain while the other two saw small dips (Dow -0.20%, Nasdaq +0.12%, S&P 500 -0.00%).

• Macy's has accelerated its store closures. The struggling department store chain will shutter 65 locations after the holidays, 15 more than originally expected; it plans to close about 30% of its locations by 2026 (More)

• Disney reached a $233M wage theft settlement with Disneyland workers. The agreement ends a class-action lawsuit that started in 2019 over a dispute on minimum wages in relation to Anaheim city statutes; it is the biggest back-pay settlement in California state history (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Colorado star Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy, awarded to college football's best player. He stars at cornerback and wide receiver for the Buffaloes and may be the No. 1 pick in next year's NFL draft (More)

• Paula Abdul settled a sexual assault and harassment lawsuit with Nigel Lythgoe. The dancer and singer alleged the producer and show judge assaulted her when they worked together on American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance (More)

• Former NFL star Randy Moss is being treated for bile duct cancer. The Pro Football Hall of Famer recently took a leave of absence from his work as an ESPN analyst (More)

Quick Hitters

• Feel Good: Travel issues are always tough, but flight delays during the holidays are particularly brutal. When everything that could go wrong did on a plane stuck in Atlanta, a passenger made the best of a bad situation with his saxophone.

• History Lesson: The first traffic light was installed in London over 150 years ago. The innovation was necessary due to chaos caused by horse-drawn carriages in the city.

• Go Deep: Scientists have observed remarkable genetic resilience from the dogs (and their offspring) that survived the Chernobyl disaster. Here is a look at how they have adapted.

• Take Note: Starting your day with activity is good for your brain. Studies indicate just 30 minutes of exercise can improve memory and provide other cognitive benefits.

• Fun Stuff: Mirano is a small town in northern Italy. It becomes the site of a giant goose-themed board game every fall.

Watch This

These are the presents people do not want.

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Looking Ahead …

Airships are making a comeback after falling out of popularity when the aviation industry exploded. Could the old-school approach to travel rise again due to its sustainability?

Question of the Day

Friday’s results:

Do you own/use a Stanley cup or mug?

• No (87%)

• Yes (13%)