Prince Philip, Royal Consort to Queen Elizabeth, Dies at 99

Prince Philip, who was married to Queen Elizabeth since 1947 and was royal consort since his wife ascended to the throne in 1952, died Friday morning at the age of 99, two months shy of his 100th birthday. He was the longest-serving royal consort in British history as well as the longest-lived male member of the British royal family. 

Philip was born on June 10, 1921 on the island of Corfu in Greece, and was part of the Greek royal family, itself descended from the Daish, German, and British royal families. His family fled Greece when he was young, and Philip spent his childhood in Germany, France, and Britain. 

In WWII, he joined the British navy and served in the Pacific and Mediterranean. After the war, he was granted permission to marry Elizabeth, the heir apparent to King George VI. After renouncing his foreign noble titles, he married her in 1947 and gained the title Duke of Edinburgh. After Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, Philip become royal consort and gained the title Prince Philip.

Philip was known for his myriad royal engagements, appearing at 22,217 events during his time as royal consort. He also made patronage of sports, particularly carriage driving, a focus of his . He also established The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, which encouraged self-improvement for young people. 

Large Container Ship Ever Given Freed from Suez Canal

The Ever Given, one of the largest ships in the world, was freed Monday after six days stuck in the Suez Canal in Egypt. The Ever Given was on its way to the Netherlands from Malaysia, shipping thousands of tons of goods. A combination of windy conditions and human error are believed to have been the main causes of the ship lodging diagonally across the canal, preventing any ships from using the canal. Without the canal, ships would have to travel around Africa to go from Asia to Europe and vice versa.

Fourteen tug boats were needed to dislodge the ship during high tide.

Some had feared that the blockage could lead to substantial economic disruption, as $9.6 billion worth of trade passing through the canal each day.

 

After Coronavirus Stimulus Bill, Democrats Eye Larger Plans

The American Rescue Plan, President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill, passed Congress on a party line vote this month, delivering $1,400 checks to most Americans, extending unemployment benefits, and allocating billions for various spending plans. While the plan only passed narrowly, many Democrats in Congress hope their small majorities in Congress will be enough to pass more ambitious plans, including a $3 trillion infrastructure plan, direct tax hikes on upper-income Americans, and gun control bills.

Democrats hope to pay for many of their plans through direct tax increases on those making $400,000 or more per year, as well as through increased enforcement of tax laws though increased audits.

On gun control, a longtime Democratic priority, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) claims that the Senate can pass a bipartisan bill to expand background checks, something echoed by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). However, such a bill may be seen as too weak by more liberal Democrats, and will almost certainly draw strong opposition from most Republicans, casting doubt on Murphy’s and Toomey’s claims.

Some Democrats are calling for the elimination of the filibuster, the parliamentary rule which prohibits the Senate from advancing most legislation without 60 votes. President Biden has not called for the complete elimination of the filibuster, but has signaled openness to “reform,” remaining unclear on what changes to it he would support. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), considered the swing vote in the Senate, has said he would not support elimination the filibuster, but, like Biden, has signaled that he could be open to certain changes that would allow legislation to pass more easily.

 

Children's Book Author Beverly Cleary Dies at 104

 

Cleary, who died this week at 104, pictured
here around age 39 with her cat, "Kitty"

Beloved children's book author Beverly Cleary died Thursday at the age of 104, just a few weeks shy of her 105th birthday. The centenarian's career, which spanned nearly five decades, produced numerous works with familiar characters such as Romona and Quimby Beezus, Henry Huggins, and Ralph S. Mouse. 

Cleary was born in McMinnville, Oregon, on April 12, 1916, prior to America's entry into World War I. Cleary graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1938 and from the University of Washington in 1939 with a second bachelor's degree in library science. She worked as a librarian for the next decade and married her husband Clarence in 1940. Clarence died in 1999. 

In 1950, Cleary's first book Henry Huggins was published. She continued publishing books until 1999, when she retired from active writing. In 1975, she won the Laura Ingalls Wilder award for her contribution to children's literature. Her characters Romona and Quimby Beezus were brought to the big screen in 2010 in Romona and Beezus, starring Selena Gomez and Joey King. Cleary was also honored with a residence hall named after her at UC Berkeley. 

After Cleary's death in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, tributes began pouring in from fellow authors, such as Judy Blume, and from politicians, actors, and others who said they were influenced by her works. 

Biden Launches Strikes at Iranian-Backed Militias in Syria

President Biden launched missile strikes against what the US describes as Iran-backed militias operating in Syria on Thursday. These strikes were in retaliation for an attack on US troops stationed in Erbil, Iraq earlier this month which resulted in the death of a civilian contractor. While the initial attack occurred in Iraq, the retaliatory strikes were aimed at militias in Syria to avoid a diplomatic spat with the Iraqi government, which has strong ties to Iran.

The Biden administration has said they hope to avoid a direct confrontation with Iran as they hope to renew talks to enter a nuclear deal. President Trump had exited the previous nuclear deal during his term, and Biden has promised to attempt to reenter the agreement during his term.

Trump had also directly confronted Iran through the killing of General Qassim Soleimani in January 2020 over the general’s repeated attacks on US troops over the years. Iran did launch retaliatory strikes in response which caused injuries to US servicemembers in the region; however, there was no escalation to a full-blown conflict that some had feared may have resulted from Soleimani’s killing.