politics

Prince Harry Claims To Have Killed 25 Taliban Members

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Prince Harry is gearing up for a dramatic tell-all in the form of his new book. The memoir is set to serve as an inside look into the Royal Family.

However, one of the things that Harry mentions is the fact that he claims to have killed 25 members of the Taliban while serving in Afghanistan. This is certainly causing lots of controversies online.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala at New York Hilton on December 06, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala)

The Associated Press allegedly has an early copy of the book and its contents. Harry reportedly writes proudly about the murders. “Baddies eliminated before they could kill Goodies,” is how he says it himself. He goes on to say that, in the heat of the moment within battle, enemies dying are like removing pieces from a chessboard.

Not only is he putting a number on the amount of people he’s responsible for killing, but he’s also referring to them in a rather inhumane way. Anas Haqqani, a Senior Taliban leader is speaking out against the prince’s claims. “The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans with families,” he says.

Furthermore, some veterans are speaking out about the dangers of these comments. Military members say it’s an “unwritten rule” to not put a head count on your killings while being in the line of battle. “That’s not how you behave in the Army; it’s not how we think. He has badly let the side down. We don’t do notches on the rifle butt. We never did,” says Tim Collins, a retired British Army colonel.

This is also not the first time that the Duke of Sussex is speaking publicly about his time in the military. In total, he served 10 years as part of the British Army, serving in Afghanistan two times. Between 2012-2013, he served as an Apache helicopter copilot gunner.

Of course, the world was witness to Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, leaving the Royal Family in 2021. The memoir, titled Spare, will be available worldwide on Tuesday (January 10).

What are your thoughts on Prince Harry’s claims? Comment down below. Finally, make sure to stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates in pop culture and music.

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Mike Rogers Lunges At Matt Gaetz During House Speaker Vote

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Mike Rogers needed to be restrained during the 14th round of voting for House speaker. The Alabama Rep. seemed to take issue with Rep. Matt Gaetz voting present.

Rogers stormed over to Gaetz and the two began yelling at one another. At one point, Rep. Richard Hudson pulled Rogers back and put his hand over his mouth.

Washington , D.C. – January 6: Mike Rogers (R-AL) is restrained after getting into an argument with Matt Gaetz (R-FL) during in the 14th round of voting for speaker in a meeting of the 118th Congress, Friday, January 6, 2023, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke about the incident with reporters on Saturday. She says that she expects there to be repercussions.

“Mike Rogers lost his temper and was basically going to, you know, put his hands on Matt,” Greene said. “And it was actually Richard Hudson — grabbed Mike Rogers from behind and pulled him away.”

She added: “So yeah, that was completely out of line. And then I’m sure it’ll be dealt with.”

Rep. Tim Burchett remarked that he wouldn’t shy away from an altercation if he found his way into one.

“I’m honestly – I’m not going to be threatened by anybody, and if somebody puts their hands on me, I will drop them like a bag of dirt,” Burchett said. “I really will, man. That is not – I am not one to back down from a fight.”

Eventually, Rep. Kevin McCarthy was elected House speaker after 15 rounds of voting. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries took over as leader of the Democratic party in the House, becoming the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress.

Check out a clip of Rogers and Gaetz’s confrontation below.

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Donald Trump Facing $10M Lawsuit For Capitol Cop’s 2021 Death

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Some good news on the two-year anniversary of the January 6th US Capitol riots. Former President Donald Trump is now facing a substantial lawsuit as a result of his actions on that fateful day. Specifically, he’s being sued by the family of the late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.

As Complex notes, the victim passed away in January 2021. He suffered two strokes following the riots that came as a result of Trump’s failed second presidential run. In April of that year, the USCP released a statement regarding Sicknick’s death. At the time, they noted that they accepted the findings from D.C.’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Ultimately, reports say that the officer died of natural causes.

“This does not change the fact Officer Sicknick died in the line of duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol,” their aforementioned commentary says. “The Department continues to mourn the loss of our beloved colleague. The attack on our officers, including Brian, was an attack on our democracy.”

Earlier this week, the late man’s longtime partner, Sandra Garza, said in the lawsuit that Sicknick’s death was “a direct and foreseeable consequence” of Trump’s own words. Additionally, Julian Elie Khater and George Pierre Tanios’s names are in reports for allegedly assaulting the now-deceased policeman. They apparently attacked him with spray at the time.

“As a direct and foreseeable consequence of Defendant Trump’s false and incendiary allegations of fraud and theft, and in direct response to Defendant Trump’s express calls for violence at the rally, a violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol,” the complaint against The Apprentice star reads.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump waits on the ninth tee in his golf cart during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28, 2022 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images)

“Many participants in the attack have since revealed that they were acting on what they believed to be Defendant Trump’s direct orders in service of their country.”

The suit requests that the court grant relief against the former POTUS and other defendants. Documents ask that everyone “individually pay actual money damages of not less than $10,000,000 to the Plaintiff.”

A specific amount will be set at a later date if the lawsuit is enough to obtain a trial date. In lighter news, Sicknick’s parents accepted the Medal of Honour on his behalf earlier today (January 6).

Read more about Donald Trump’s latest legal antics here, and check back later for any updates on the situation.

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Benedict Cumberbatch & His Family May Have To Pay For Their Ancestor’s Role In Slavery

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Benedict Cumberbatch has previously acknowledged that part of his family’s past includes slave ownership.

It now appears as though the actor and his family may actually have to pay for their role in slavery.

Benedict Cumberbatch attends the NY special screening of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 05, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Disney)

According to a recent report from The Telegraph, the 46-year-old’s seventh great-grandfather is responsible for purchasing a plantation in 1728. The report alleges that the Cleland plantation was active for more than 100 years. Furthermore, it reportedly had 250 slaves on the property.

The sugar plantation is located in Barbados. The country is currently in the process of looking for reparations from families whose ancestors were slave owners. Evidently, this includes the Cumberbatch’s.

Slavery was abolished nearly 200 years ago, in the 1830s. The reason that the country is seeking these payments is because the families who are responsible for owning slaves were given large payments upon the abolition. “When the plantation was forced to close his family were given £6,000 in compensation – in today’s money that’s £3.6 million,” writes journalist Lorraine King in a tweet.

The Decision

Whether the Dr. Strange actor’s family will be responsible for paying up or not is still unknown. It will be up to a challenge that the country is currently awaiting in court. Barbados is asking Richard Dax, the inheritor of the country’s largest plantation, Drax Hall, to hand over his family’s land.

If he refuses to do so, an international arbitration court will decide whether or not the British Parliament member will be responsible for paying reparations. If it comes to this and the decision is yes, the country will reportedly move forward with seeking payments from other past slave owners. Of course, this will include the Cumberbatch family.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Comment down below. Finally, be sure to stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest pop culture updates.

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Mike Pompeo Calls To Ban Chinese Travelers Over COVID-19 Variant

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Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the United States should ban Chinese travelers from entering the country. Pompeo theorized that Chinese President Xi Jinping has a plot to infect the world with a new COVID-19 variant. Pompeo explained his theory to John Catsimatidis on Cats Roundtable.

“It sounds like we might have as many as 1 million Chinese people infected. Fifty percent of their population traveling,” Pompeo said on the program, Sunday.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – FEBRUARY 11: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appears with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (not pictured) at the foreign ministry on February 11, 2019, in Budapest, Hungary. They were expected to discuss energy issues and the debate over Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications company whom the U.S. accuses of stealing trade secrets and violating Iran sanctions. Afterward, Secretary Pompeo was scheduled to meet with Hungarian PM Viktor Orban. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Getty images)

He continued: “There is no reason we should allow the Chinese to do this again, to send Chinese-infected persons around the world, knowingly infecting people all across the globe.”

“Xi got away with this once,” Pompeo said, before admitting that he feels regretful over 2020. “We should still do that for the 6 million people who died between the spring of 2020 and today.”

“But he’s doing it again,” he added. “Just as in the spring of 2020 [when] he sent people around the world he knew were infected.”

“He’s going to infect millions more,” Pompeo concluded. “We shouldn’t let that happen.”

Pompeo served as Secretary of State under President Donald Trump from April 2018 until the end of his presidency.

The U.S., Australia, Canada, and the U.K. have all mandated regulations for travelers from China. They will have to submit a negative coronavirus test before entering the respective counties.

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Donald Trump’s Tax Returns Reveal Shocking Info 

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Donald Trump’s federal tax returns have finally been released. The House Ways and Means Committee released six years of the former President and his wife Melania’s joint tax returns on Friday. 

According to reports, the documents contain details that were not previously public. Private loans and foreign bank accounts were discovered in the returns. Also revealed were loans Trump gave to his children, income from Melania’s modeling and more.

Former US President Donald Trump speaks at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on November 15, 2022. – Donald Trump pulled the trigger on a third White House run on November 15, setting the stage for a bruising Republican nomination battle after a poor midterm election showing by his hand-picked candidates weakened his grip on the party. Trump filed his official candidacy papers with the US election authority moments before he was due to publicly announce his candidacy. (Photo by ALON SKUY / AFP) (Photo by ALON SKUY/AFP via Getty Images)
Read More: Donald Trump Thinks Kanye West Is Acting “Crazy”

Trump has attempted to keep his federal return out of the public eye for years. Earlier this week, he accused the democrats of unconstitutionally releasing his returns.  “The Democrats should have never done it,” he began in a statement.  “The supreme court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people.” 

Trump’s rant against the democrats didn’t end there. “The great USA divide will now grow far worse,” he added. “The radical, left Democrats have weaponized everything. But remember, that is a dangerous two-way street.”

The tax returns also revealed information about Donald and Melania’s income during his time as POTUS. The Internal Revenue Service reportedly failed to carry out mandatory audits of Trump during his first two years as president.

It also found that the couple reported negative income and little or no tax liability for a few years. Returns for his first three years as president show that Trump donated a portion his salary, but he reported $0 in charitable giving in 2020. The news comes on the heels of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — reportedly referred by Trump — for possible criminal charges. Charges include incitement of insurrection and conspiracy to defraud the U.S.

Check out HNHH for the latest. 

Art Exhibition in Nigeria Honors Missing Chibok Girls

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The 108 still missing Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria in 2014 are remembered in a new exhibition of sculptures in Lagos. The faces of the 108 Chibok girls who are still missing nearly nine years after their abduction by Islamist insurgents have been sculpted in clay in a collaboration between French artist Prune Nourry, university students, professional potters and the families of the victims. 

The artwork is inspired by ancient Nigerian Ife terracotta heads and the Exhibition is titled, “Statues Also Breathe.” The sculptures recreate the faces, facial expressions and hair patterns of the girls. 

In 2014, 275 girls were seized from the Government Girls Secondary School in the Chibok community in northeastern Nigeria. The mass abduction prompted global outrage and heartbreak where the slogan #BringBackOurGirls was conceived. Former U.S. first last, Michelle Obama, and numerous other leaders advocated for their return. 

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Around 160 of the girls have been released since then, many after years of captivity, but the story has faded from the headlines, losing political momentum. Now president, Muhammadu Buhari, left families hollow when he promised to rescue the girls eight years ago as a political scheme to obtain power. Babagana Monguno, the nation’s national security adviser, said in early December that the military is dedicated, but that it is an “”intelligence-driven process, which means it is going to be, unfortunately, painstaking”.

Habibat Balogun, the Bring Back Our Girls Lagos Coordinator said, “It’s a permanent reminder that it happened, we had a period in our history in Nigeria where women, boys, men, children were taken away, some were recovered, some are still displaced till today, some are still in captivity.” 

French artist Prune Nourry collaborated with 108 students from the Obafemi Awolowo University and family’s of the missing girls lended photos of their daughters for the portraits. He then designed eight heads, inspired by the photographs, and students sculpted 108 more.  

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Nourry’s hope for viewers of the exhibition is that they will, “remember the importance of girls’ education, then the fact that sculpture can personify someone and catch the breathing life and the symbol of someone, of life.’ 

The Chibok community still suffers attacks from Boko Haram and its breakaway faction which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. Art pays tribute to this largely forgotten tragedy in the midst of even more heartbreak. The sculptures are currently stationed in Lagos, but are expected to travel a world tour in the coming years. 

The post Art Exhibition in Nigeria Honors Missing Chibok Girls appeared first on The Source.

Southwest Airlines Flight Cancellations Draw Scrutiny

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Lawmakers are criticizing Southwest Airlines over a series of flight cancellations in recent days. A bitter cold front swept across the country accompanied by snow and freezing temperatures this holiday season. Although the airline is currently rolling out a reset by moving crews and empty aircrafts around the country to place crews accordingly, lawmakers are pushing for oversight. 

Southwest is not alone in this widespread nuisance as several airlines faced vast cancellations. Still, Southwest canceled at least 70% of its flights Monday due to the weather and a reported system meltdown. The airline canceled 62% of its flights Tuesday. In an unfortunate series of events for holiday travelers, 42% of Southwest’s flights were canceled on Christmas Day, and 48% were delayed, according to data from FlightAware.

On Tuesday the chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said her panel will investigate the causes of the Southwest flight cancellations as, “the problems at Southwest Airlines over the last several days go beyond weather. The Committee will be looking into the causes of these disruptions and its impact to consumers. Many airlines fail to adequately communicate with consumers during flight cancellations. Consumers deserve strong protections, including an updated consumer refund rule.” 

The extensive cancellations have prompted the Biden administration to step in. President Joe Biden stated, “Administration is working to ensure airlines are held accountable” and the Transportation Department added, “We are concerned by Southwest’s unacceptable rate of cancellations and delays & reports of lack of prompt customer service. We will examine whether cancellations were controllable and if Southwest is complying with its customer service plan.”

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Aggressive scheduling and underinvestment in operations coupled with shorter flights with tighter turnaround times has sent the airline into a chaotic frenzy. Stranded customers have not been able to get through to Southwest’s customer service lines to rebook flights or find lost baggage.

In a message vouching for frustrated flyers, Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., members of the Senate Commerce Committee, said, “[T]he company can start by fairly compensating passengers whose flights were canceled, including not only rebooked tickets, ticket refunds, and hotel, meal, and transportation reimbursement, but significant monetary compensation for the disruption to their holiday plans. Southwest is planning to issue a $428 million dividend next year – the company can afford to do right by the consumers it has harmed.” Cancellations are not solely at the fault of bad weather and therefore the public is demanding the airline to take accountability for failure of internal systems.

Southwest Airlines responds to backlash

The post Southwest Airlines Flight Cancellations Draw Scrutiny appeared first on The Source.

Leader Of Gretchen Whitmer Kidnapping Plot Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison

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A judge has sentenced Adam Fox to 16 years in prison for his role in plotting to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer. Prosecutors say that Fox was the leader in the scheme.

“There is need for public understanding of the cost of this kind of wrongdoing and certainly for specific deterrence as well. And there is impact on our overall governmental system, not just physical threat to our sitting governor, it’s the emotional baggage that now our governor will have to carry and that she’s written about in her report,” Judge Robert Jonker said in court on Tuesday.

SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 16: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer introduces Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden delivers remarks about health care at Beech Woods Recreation Center October 16, 2020 in Southfield, Michigan. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

He added: “And beyond that, it does affect not just the willingness and eagerness of our own governor to continue in office but undoubtedly affects other people who are either in public office or are considering public office.”

Fox’s defense attorney Christopher Gibbons said the ruling “overstates the reality of the conduct” of which Fox is accused.

Fox declined to comment on the sentence. Instead, he told the court, “I’m satisfied with what my lawyer said.”

His legal team has also argued that the FBI committed entrapment in the case.

Prosecutors requested that Fox receive the maximum sentence of life in prison. They noted that he has expressed no remorse, arguing he “will remain a danger to the public.”

A jury originally convicted Fox on charges of kidnapping conspiracy and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction in August.

Fox, along with the rest of his group, the “Wolverine Watchmen,” originally plotted to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. The FBI interrupted their plans before they could act on them.

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D.L. Hughley Says Donald Trump Deserves Manslaughter Charges

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Donald Trump has been putting a lot of energy towards his 2024 Presidential campaign in recent weeks. Seeing as the Jan. 6 Committee commissioned to analyze the deadly insurrection at the Capitol during his last stint in office has referred him for criminal charges, though, it’s entirely possible we may not see the politician hit the campaign trail next year.

Earlier this month, news came out declaring that the New York native is facing accusations of “providing aid and comfort” to the 2021 mob. Additionally, he could receive charges for “obstructing Congress’ Jan. 6 joint session, conspiracy to make false statements to the National Archives, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.”

Former U.S. President Donald Trump tosses hats into the crowd during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center on July 23, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

At the time, panel chair Rep. Bennie Thompson said, “Faith in our system is the foundation of American democracy. If the faith is broken, so is our democracy. Donald Trump broke that faith. He lost the 2020 election and knew it, but he chose to try to stay in office through a multi-part scheme. This can never happen again.”

While he still has a surprising number of supporters, just as many others have been expressing disdain for Trump since the moment he began his political career. Specifically, comedian D.L. Hughley has been vocal about his thoughts on the Jan. 6 situation.

Recently, TMZ caught up with him at LAX, at which time they discussed what the future may hold for Trump. “Ultimately, we all saw what happened,” he tells the camera.

When asked about the former POTUS’ future election plans, Hughley says, “He should be disqualified from running again. Anybody who tries to overthrow, and have armed people rise up… Use white nationalists and skinheads to affect the results he wanted. They should automatically have been disbarred.”

Additionally, the actor thinks that failure to indict Trump on these allegations would “speak volumes of our legal system.” He went on, “Stop saying out loud that nobody is above the law because clearly, they are.”

“From espionage to, you know, tampering with elections. You name it. I think he should be charged with manslaughter for the cop that died, even though it wasn’t in the event,” Hughley told TMZ.

He then said that if Trump was a Black man, he would be a “co-conspirator” and put in jail long ago. “He is clearly guilty,” the 59-year-old insisted. “He’s taking this country down fast. I don’t know that it will ever recover.”

Listen to D.L. Hughley’s full rant below, and check back later for any updates on Donald Trump.

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