Connect with us

Published

on

Joe Biden has called for Americans to “bring down the temperature” as he addressed the US for the first time in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory.

Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, the US president said: “I know for some people it is a time for victory, for others it is a time of loss… the country chooses one or the other.

“I have said many times you can’t love your country only when you win, you can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.”

US election latest: Trump to select team in days

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the 2024 election results and the upcoming presidential transition of power, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Image:
President Joe Biden giving his speech in the Rose Garden. Pic: Reuters

The president said he had spoken with Mr Trump and said he has ordered his team to ensure a “peaceful and orderly transition” of power.

He said: “The people vote and choose their own leaders and they do it peacefully. In a democracy, the will of the people prevails.”

His remarks could be seen as a subtle dig at how Mr Trump refused to accept he lost the election in 2020.

The president also spoke about the “integrity of the American electoral system”, saying: “It is honest, it is fair and it is transparent. It can be trusted, win or lose.”

He concluded: “America endures. We’re going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged.”

President Joe Biden after speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Image:
Pic: AP

Mr Biden’s speech was intended to highlight what he sees as his achievements, Sky News’ US correspondent Mark Stone said. With more time, those achievements may have been more clear, he added.

“I thought it was interesting that he kind of made the point, almost suggesting if we’d had a bit more time, maybe the American people would have felt the achievements that this administration has put forward,” he said.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

What will Trump 2.0 look like?

‘We must accept the result’, Harris tells supporters

It comes after vice president Kamala Harris called Mr Trump to concede the race and congratulate him.

In a speech in Washington DC, she told her supporters she was “proud of the race we ran” but said “we must accept the result”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

What power does Joe Biden have now?

Trump’s path to decisive victory

Mr Trump won a decisive victory – comfortably clearing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to secure the presidency and clinching five battleground states: North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

He is also leading in Arizona and Nevada, which are yet to be called, according to Sky’s US partner NBC News, meaning Mr Trump is on course to claim all seven swing states.

👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈

The 78-year-old president-elect has been keeping a low profile after addressing his supporters in Florida yesterday morning to declare victory.

He is the first defeated president in over a century to return to the Oval Office and also the first convicted of a crime to win the presidency.

Mr Trump is facing several criminal and civil cases, but experts say his victory will essentially end the cases brought against him – at least while he is in the White House.

After spending his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from world leaders, Mr Trump will now begin the process of choosing who will be in his second White House administration before inauguration day on 20 January.

Continue Reading

US

Boy, 8, and girl, 10, killed in US Catholic school shooting named – as father brands attacker ‘a coward’

Published

on

By

Boy, 8, and girl, 10, killed in US Catholic school shooting named - as father brands attacker 'a coward'

The families of two children killed in the US Catholic school shooting have said their “hearts are broken” and branded the attacker a “coward”.

Fletcher Merkel who was eight and 10-year-old Harper Moyski were killed during mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

Eighteen other people were injured, including children aged between six and 15 and three adults in their 80s.

Police said Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman, opened fire with a rifle through the windows of the school’s church as children sat in pews.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

New details released of US school shooting

‘Our hearts are broken’

Harper’s parents, Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin, remembered her as “a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her”.

“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain,” their statement said.

They urged leaders and communities to “take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.”

“Change is possible, and it is necessary – so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies,” the statement added.

The family of Fletcher Merkel said there was a 'hole in our hearts'. Pic: Family handout/AP
Image:
The family of Fletcher Merkel said there was a ‘hole in our hearts’. Pic: Family handout/AP

‘Fletcher loved his family’

In a statement reported by Sky’s US partner network NBC News, Fletcher’s father Jesse Merkel blamed the “coward” killer for why the boy’s family can’t “hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming”.

He said: “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking, and any sports that he was allowed to play.

“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing.”

Mr Merkel also praised “the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike from inside the church”.

“Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I am thankful,” he added.

Families and loved ones reunite at the scene after the shooting. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Families and loved ones reunite at the scene after the shooting. Pic: Reuters

Mayor calls for assault weapon ban

It comes after Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey called for a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons, a day after the deadly school shooting.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Minneapolis mayor urges assault weapons ban

“Thoughts and prayers are not going to cut it. It’s on all of us to see this through,” the mayor said at a news conference. “We need a statewide and a federal ban on assault weapons.

“We need a statewide and a federal ban on high-capacity magazines. There is no reason that someone should be able to reel off 30 shots before they even have to reload.

“We’re not talking about your father’s hunting rifle gear. We’re talking about guns that are built to pierce armour and kill people.”

Meanwhile, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara gave an update on the investigation, saying the suspect had fired 116 rifle rounds into the church.

“It is very clear that this shooter had the intention to terrorise those innocent children,” he added, before saying the killer “fantasised” about the plans of other mass shooting attackers and wanted to “obtain notoriety”.

Read more from Sky News:
Man ‘who impersonated Michael Jackson’ was ‘unfairly dismissed’
Concern as British couple detained in Iran ‘whisked’ to courtroom

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

Thomas Klemond, interim CEO of Minneapolis’s main trauma hospital Hennepin Healthcare, said at an earlier news conference that the hospital was treating nine patients injured in the shooting.

One child at the hospital was in a critical condition, he added.

Children’s Minnesota Hospital also said that three children remain in its care as of Thursday morning.

Continue Reading

US

New details released about killer in Catholic school shooting in US

Published

on

By

New details released about killer in Catholic school shooting in US

Police have released new details about the killer in the US Catholic school shooting – including that they “idolised” mass murderers and they wanted to “watch children suffer”.

Two children, aged eight and 10, were killed during mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

The victims have been named as Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, – click here to read more

Eighteen other people were injured, including children aged between six and 15 and three adults in their 80s.

Police said Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman, opened fire with a rifle through the windows of the school’s church as children sat in pews.

Robin Westman
Image:
Robin Westman

Almost 120 rifle rounds fired, police chief says

In a news conference on Thursday, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the attacker fired 116 rifle rounds into the church.

“It is very clear that this shooter had the intention to terrorise those innocent children,” he added.

The police chief said the killer “fantasised” about the plans of other mass shooting attackers and wanted to “obtain notoriety”.

When asked about the attacker obtaining the firearms used legally, Mr O’Hara said that they did not have a criminal history or any diagnosed mental health disorders.

While they had potentially concerning social media posts, the police chief added that there was no evidence to suggest that Westman was legally barred from purchasing a firearm.

People mourn outside the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Pic: Reuters
Image:
People mourn outside the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Pic: Reuters

Suspect ‘wanted to watch children suffer’

Joe Thompson, acting US attorney for Minnesota, also said evidence recovered of the killer’s plans showed “pure indiscriminate hate” and that they “idolised some of the most notorious school shooters and mass murderers in our country’s history”.

“I won’t dignify the shooter’s words by repeating them,” Mr Thompson added. “They are horrific and vile, but in short, the shooter wanted to watch children suffer.”

Earlier, the mayor of Minneapolis called for a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons after the deadly attack, saying “thoughts and prayers are not going to cut it”.

“There is no reason that someone should be able to reel off 30 shots before they even have to reload,” Jacob Frey said.

“We’re not talking about your father’s hunting rifle gear. We’re talking about guns that are built to pierce armour and kill people.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Minneapolis mayor urges assault weapons ban

Thomas Klemond, interim CEO of Minneapolis’s main trauma hospital Hennepin Healthcare, said at a news conference that the hospital was treating nine patients injured in the shooting.

One child at the hospital was in a critical condition, he added.

Children’s Minnesota Hospital also said that three children remain in its care as of Thursday morning.

Read more from Sky News:
Cost of weight-loss drug to be discounted in UK pharmacies
What could happen next at Man Utd after Grimsby humiliation
UN staff pressure human rights chief to call Gaza a genocide

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

In a post on Facebook, the hospital said “there are no words to describe the overwhelming pain many are feeling”, adding: “We feel that pain with you.

“To the entire Annunciation community, you have our deepest condolences. During this time of unimaginable grief and loss, we want you to know that we at Children’s Minnesota are with you.

“We will always be here to care for you. And in this moment, we hurt alongside you.”

Continue Reading

US

Boy, 8, killed in US Catholic school shooting named – as victim’s father brands attacker ‘a coward’

Published

on

By

Boy, 8, killed in US Catholic school shooting named - as victim's father brands attacker 'a coward'

An eight-year-old boy killed in the US Catholic school shooting has been named – as his father branded the attacker a “coward”.

Fletcher Merkel was one of two children killed during mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday.

Eighteen other people were injured, including children aged between six and 15 and three adults in their 80s.

Police said Robin Westman, a male born as Robert Westman, opened fire with a rifle through the windows of the school’s church as children sat in pews.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

New details released of US school shooting

Dad says ‘Fletcher loved his family’

In a statement reported by Sky’s US partner network NBC News, Fletcher’s father Jesse Merkel blamed the “coward” killer for why the boy’s family can’t “hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming”.

He added: “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking, and any sports that he was allowed to play.

“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing.”

Mr Merkel said he prayed the family of the 10-year-old victim – who has not been identified – would also find peace.

“I’ve heard many stories accounting the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike from inside the church,” he added.

“Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more. For these people, I am thankful.”

Families and loved ones reunite at the scene after the shooting. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Families and loved ones reunite at the scene after the shooting. Pic: Reuters

Mayor calls for assault weapon ban

It comes after Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey called for a statewide and federal ban on assault weapons, a day after the deadly school shooting.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Minneapolis mayor urges assault weapons ban

“Thoughts and prayers are not going to cut it. It’s on all of us to see this through,” the mayor said at a news conference. “We need a statewide and a federal ban on assault weapons.

“We need a statewide and a federal ban on high-capacity magazines. There is no reason that someone should be able to reel off 30 shots before they even have to reload.

“We’re not talking about your father’s hunting rifle gear. We’re talking about guns that are built to pierce armour and kill people.”

Meanwhile, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara gave an update on the investigation, saying the suspect had fired 116 rifle rounds into the church.

“It is very clear that this shooter had the intention to terrorise those innocent children,” he added, before saying the killer “fantasised” about the plans of other mass shooting attackers and wanted to “obtain notoriety”.

Read more from Sky News:
Man ‘who impersonated Michael Jackson’ was ‘unfairly dismissed’
Concern as British couple detained in Iran ‘whisked’ to courtroom

Follow The World
Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

Thomas Klemond, interim CEO of Minneapolis’s main trauma hospital Hennepin Healthcare, said at an earlier news conference that the hospital was treating nine patients injured in the shooting.

One child at the hospital was in a critical condition, he added.

Children’s Minnesota Hospital also said that three children remain in its care as of Thursday morning.

Continue Reading

Trending