Lisa Marie Presley asks judge to ‘declare her officially single’ from estranged husband of five years because he ‘refuses’ to divorce
By Caitlyn Becker For Dailymail.com
Published: | Updated:
Lisa Marie Presley wants to ‘move forward’ with her life and officially cut ties with her estranged husband Michael Lockwood.
The 53-year-old daughter of Elvis Presley filed new court documents requesting that a judge officially declare her single – a somewhat common practice in long drawn out divorces – despite her ex’s refusal to ‘terminate their marriage.’
In the documents, obtained by TMZ, Lisa Marie lays out a grim future for her relationship telling the court that there is no hope for the couple to reconcile.
Single lady: Lisa Marie Presley filed new court documents requesting that a judge officially declare her single – a somewhat common practice in long drawn out divorces – despite her ex’s refusal to ‘terminate their marriage,’ according to TMZ (Lisa Marie and Michael Lockwood in 2015)
According to the documents, Lisa Marie has been wanting to end her marriage since filing for divorce in June of 2016 but Lockwood ‘refuses’.
Presley is now requesting a bifurcation, ‘which means separating marital status from other divorce issues’. If her request is granted she and Michael will both be deemed single in the eyes of the law while they hash out the details of their divorce.
The singer-songwriter said in the documents that she wants the bifurcation ‘so that I can move forward with my life.’
Lockwood and Presley were married for a decade from 2006-2010 and they share 12-year-old twins Finley and Harper.
In court: Presley is now requesting a bifurcation, ‘which means separating marital status from other divorce issues’. If her request is granted she and Michael will both be deemed single in the eyes of the law while they hash out the details of their divorce (Pictured with daughters Riley, Finley and Harper)
Back in November, Lisa Marie appeared in court for a hearing as part of her divorce proceedings to decide who gets custody of their daughters.
In court documents, Lockwood, 59, has accused Presley – who was raised as a Scientologist – of using a Church of Scientology tactic called ‘Fair Gaming’ to drive a wedge between him and his daughters.
And he also attacked Lisa Marie’s lawyers for ‘hyper-aggressive litigation’ in the divorce and custody case, with ‘hearings spurred by baseless salacious allegations’.
It’s over: The singer-songwriter, who has been estranged from her husband for five years, said in the documents that she wants the bifurcation ‘so that I can move forward with my life’ (Pictured together in 2004)
After Presley’s 27-year-old son Benjamin Keough committed suicide in July, Lockwood claimed in legal documents that Lisa Marie’s heartbreak over the tragedy could send her back to the drugs and alcohol she claims she’s been free of for three years.
Presley has been married four times and had four children. She married singer Danny Keough in 1988 and they shared Danielle Riley Keough – movie star Riley Keough – and Benjamin. They divorced in 1994.
That same year, she married Michael Jackson but they divorced two years later. Her third marriage, in 2002 to actor Nicolas Cage, also barely lasted two years. She wed Lockwood in 2006 and they separated, and filed for divorce, in 2016.
Low blow: After Presley’s 27-year-old son Benjamin Keough committed suicide in July, Lockwood claimed in legal documents that Lisa Marie’s heartbreak over the tragedy could send her back to the drugs and alcohol she claims she’s been free of for three years (Lisa Marie and Benjamin pictured in 2012)
Is Vice President Kamala Harris starting to do President Biden’s job for him?
That’s the question Fox News host Sean Hannity asked while reviewing a report on Harris taking on foreign policy responsibilities, like solo meetings with foreign leaders.
According to Politico, Harris is trying to carve out a specialty in in foreign policy. She also participated in the first bilateral meeting of the new administration between Canada and the United States. Biden reportedly didn’t do the same as vice president in the Obama administration.
“According to a new shocking Politico report, Vice President Harris is quickly being prepped to take the foreign policy reins from the Biden administration,” Hannity said.
DOZENS OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS WANT BIDEN TO GIVE UP SOLE AUTHORITY TO LAUNCH NUCLEAR CODES
“Biden is now reportedly encouraging his vice president to engage directly with world leaders — that would be his job — and by the way, even develop her own rapport with U.S. allies. Harris has also been meeting weekly with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. So the question tonight is, why?”
Hannity added: “If Joe Biden is not up to the task, well, we know that he rarely appears in public, we know that he takes very few questions. We know he hasn’t even scheduled a joint session of Congress for the State of the Union address.”
He also pointed to reporting that House Democrats requested Biden given up his sole authority to launch nuclear weapons.
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“We can all see with our own eyes that Joe is frail, he is weak, and yes, he’s struggling cognitively,” Hannity said.
“Even a few dozen Democrats now are trying to take away the nuclear codes from Joe Biden so it’s not in the hands of just him, one person … and his vice president now holding one on one calls with other world leaders. So what’s really going on here? Who’s in charge? And by the way, should we be concerned?”
The U.N. human rights office said Friday that it has asked the United Arab Emirates for evidence that an Emirati princess held against her will for almost three years is still alive.
The Geneva-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the case of Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum was raised with the UAE’s mission to the U.N. on Thursday.
Earlier this week, the BBC released excerpts from video diaries Latifa said were recorded in a locked bathroom inside the Dubai villa where she was being held. She was detained by commandos off the coast of India in 2018 after she tried to flee Dubai in a yacht.
Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum in December 2018. United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation / via AP
“We raised our concerns about the situation in light of the disturbing video evidence that emerged this week,” Elizabeth Throssell, a spokeswoman for the U.N. rights office, told reporters. “We requested more information and clarification about Sheikha Latifa’s current situation.”
“We did ask for proof of life,” she added.
Friends of the princess have said say they are concerned for her safety because she hasn’t been heard from since she stopped responding to text messages six months ago. The 35-year-old princess is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the hereditary ruler of Dubai who also serves as prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates.
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Throssell stressed that it was standard practice for the U.N. human rights office to inquire about individual cases within its mandate. “That includes cases for whatever reason that have attracted wider focus.”
“Given the serious concerns about Sheika Latifa, we have requested that the government’s response comes as a matter of priority,” she added. “We look forward to receiving and considering this response.”
“In the meantime, of course, we will continue to monitor and assess the situation closely,” said Throssell.
The UAE Embassy in London issued a statement on behalf of Latifa’s family, saying media coverage of her situation “certainly is not reflective of the actual position.”
“Her family has confirmed that Her Highness is being cared for at home, supported by her family and medical professionals,” the statement said. “She continues to improve and we are hopeful she will return to public life at the appropriate time.”
The case of Latifa was previously raised by independent rights experts appointed by the global body.
In December, the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances reported that it had decided to examine the case of Latifa, “who is reportedly being held in incommunicado detention at her family home in Dubai.”
Dolly Parton has asked Tennessee legislators to not move forward with installing a statue in her honor on state Capitol grounds.
The country music legend posted a new message Thursday on Twitter asking her home state to stop the proposed bill even though she is “honored and humbled” by the gesture.
“I want to thank the Tennessee legislature for their consideration of a bill to erect a statue of me on the Capitol grounds. I am honored and humbled by their intention but I have asked the leaders of the state legislature to remove the bill from any and all consideration,” her statement reads.
“Given all that is going on in the world, I don’t think putting me on a pedestal is appropriate at this time. I hope, though, that somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it, then I’m certain I will stand proud in our great State Capitol as a grateful Tennessean,” Parton concluded.
DOLLY PARTON STATUE PROPOSED ON TENNESSEE CAPITOL GROUNDS
State Rep. John Windle (D-Livingston) proposed such a statue on the property to recognize all the country icon’s contributions to the state and a House committee passed the bill on Feb. 9.
In June, an online petition was filed suggesting that a statue of Parton, 75, replace those dedicated to Confederate officers.
DOLLY PARTON’S FAITH COMPELLED HER COVID-19 RESEARCH DONATION, WON’T JUMP THE LINE TO GET VACCINE
“Tennessee is littered with statues memorializing confederate officers,” the petition reads. “History should not be forgotten, but we need not glamorize those who do not deserve our praise. Instead, let us honor a true Tennessee hero, Dolly Parton.”
The petition cited her music, Parton’s Dollywood Foundation, philanthropy as reasons for her potential recognition.
Fans wanted a statue of Dolly Parton on state Capitol grounds because of her contributions to philanthropy and music over her decades-long career. (Wade Payne/Invision/AP, File)
“Let’s replace the statues of men who sought to tear this country apart with a monument to the woman who has worked her entire life to bring us closer together,” the petition reads.
DOLLY PARTON TWICE DECLINED THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM: REPORT
Recently, the “9 to 5” singer has been praised publicly for her $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University’s coronavirus research, which helped Moderna develop a vaccine that they’ve said is nearly 95% effective, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Fans took to Twitter in November 2020 to thank her, jokingly crediting her with “saving the world” with her donation.
Parton later spoke to “Today” about the vaccine and the role she’s credited with playing in its development.
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“I’m just happy that anything I do can help somebody else,” she said. “When I donated the money to the COVID[-19] fund I just wanted it to do good and evidently, it is! Let’s just hope we can find a cure real soon.”
SPP again asks Oklahomans to conserve energy, declares Energy Emergency Alert Level 2
Updated: 7:54 PM CST Feb 17, 2021
My name is Mike Ross, senior vice president for government affairs and public relations. That Little Rock Bay Southwest power pool, uh, is many of, you know, SPP manages the electric grid and hotel electorate market plans transmission for all or part of the 14 states were one of seven regional transmission organizations designated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the United States. Um, we appreciate your interest and your participation. Aziz, we manage this winter weather event, I would say, an unprecedented winter weather event where we’ve had, uh, temperatures below zero throughout our entire 14 state region. We’re joined today by Barbara Suck, the president and chief executive officer and also Lannie Nickel, who is the executive vice president and chief operating officer and our current status. Um, the good news is we’re in energy emergency alert Level one no coordinated temporary interruption of service Today, however, we are continuing with public appeals to conserve energy. Certainly not out of the woods yet on with that, I’ll turn to Barbara Sugg, the president CEO of Southwest Power Pool, for for some comments. Thanks, Mike. And thanks everybody that joined us today. I know it’s been a trying week for all of us and for all of you and for all of your customers and your neighbors. And, um, you know, we This has been a very unprecedented week, and I know people are tired of the word unprecedented, but it does really apply here. The temperatures, the load, the the entire situation has just been a real challenge for all of us, of course. But, you know, interrupted loads, uh, controlled outages like like we’ve had to call on these last two days, yesterday and the day before. Yeah, I mentioned this yesterday. These air, these air things that we decisions that we don’t take lightly. There’s not a single megawatt that is not important to us. There’s not a single customer or customer of our member companies that is not important to us. And so you know, certainly any type of an outage is a last ditch effort to protect the integrity of the transmission grid on to really prevent what could be a really dire situation, where where we have widespread blackouts that air uncontrolled and damaging to the system, and then it takes a lot of time thio to bring people back on it is always unfortunate, um, toe ever. You know, for any utility company ever toe have to take an outage, an intentional outage with their customers. And we haven’t We haven’t been in this boat before, and and we’re fortunate that we hadn’t been in this boat before where we had to take outages or or, uh, give orders to give to take outages within our region. Eso It’s so it’s been trying for us because we do every single thing we can do to try to prevent getting to the stage where an outage is necessary. But please know that outages that are taken are absolutely necessary to protect the grid. At that point in time when the conditions were such that too much load, it is devastating. Um, so Mike mentioned we’re still in an energy emergency alert. Level one, there are three levels. I think Lanny Lanny will probably go over that a little bit more. Um, but level one really is just, uh it is the lowest level. That’s good. The highest level is a three on that. Ultimately is where we start seeing the need essentially, anyway, that needs thio. Call for interruptions. Yeah, E for continued conservation, um, turning off some lights and maybe running the dishwasher at a different time or doing laundry at a different time. Uh, when the load is really high. I am absolutely positive that those conservation efforts helped to minimize the amount of time that we actually were in these outage situations. Um, so we also coordinate with a lot of people. And so another reason that we’ve been able to minimize these windows of outage periods long a small as we have, is through the coordination with all of our member companies, Uh, and the coordination that they have with all of you, the conservation efforts, the work that we do with the energy suppliers, the relationships that we have with the utility companies and neighboring regions outside of Southwest powerful that may have extra generation at anyone given point in time that they can that they can, you know, fill into our region. And we can import that and help to cover all of those types of coordinated events and work with our neighbors has has played a huge role in us being ableto limit these outages to the times that we have limited them. We’re not out of the woods yet. The deep freeze is still here. Um, it is still in a you know, we’re still in a situation where across our 14 state footprint, we have higher loads than we would ever have it this time of year. And, um, that that presents challenges for us that we’re still working through. I’m very proud of not just our team, but all of you. Uh, and how people have really stepped up to help, uh, in minimizing the potential outcomes. So with that, I’ll pass it back to Mike, and I’ll stick around to help answer any questions that you may have it. The end. Thank you. Thanks, Barbara. And up next is Lannie Nickel or executive Vice president and chief operating officer at at Southwest Power Pool. Lenny. Well, thank you, Mike. And you know, I don’t really want to go all the way back, Thio about a week and a half ago, when when we really began to, um, start paying attention and and preparing for this cold weather event, Um, I will I will go because a lot of you’ve already heard that, but I will go back to really Sunday morning which is when we issued our first announcement of an energy, um er emergency alert, which was a level one at the time. That’s when we begin to ask our member utilities to ask their customers to conserve energy. And those public appeals in my mind were very helpful. I believe we saw, um, almost immediate impact because by the time Monday morning rolled around, which is when we were projecting a peak of over 45,000 megawatts for wintertime conditions, we actually ended up on Lee experience in 43,000, a little over 43,000 megawatts. So almost a 2000 megawatt reduction that I believe largely can be attributed to the fact that consumers began to voluntarily reduce their usage. And, uh and that was certainly helpful to us. Um, as you recall, uh, if if you’ve been paying attention to these press conferences over the last couple of days, we did ultimately on Monday have to begin issuing directions to our utility members to, uh, start performing their emergency plans for rotating interruptions of service. Uh, that on Monday, uh, that call for for interruptions of service across the region. The 14 state region Onley amounted to about 1.5% of our regional consumption at that time. Uh, and it lasted for 50 minutes. Uh, Tuesday we began with with a little more, uh, of extreme event, because load consumption was expected to be higher that day. As you know, temperatures across the footprint continued to drop and and we were projecting even higher load for for Tuesday. And as a result of that, as well as other events occurring across the system generation not being as available as it had been on Monday, um And then, uh, imports that we have been blessed to rely upon Monday weren’t quite as great as, uh on Tuesday. And so we ended up having Thio issue directives to interrupt about 6.5% of our load on Tuesday, and that lasted about three hours and 21 minutes. Uh, these air actions we don’t want to take we’ve we’ve said that we’ll continue to remind you the these air last resort actions we’ve taken all other steps weaken. Do we? We direct all available generation that can come online to come online way, direct them to do that and purchase fuel no matter what that cost is, um, way direct and ask for assistance from our neighbors and, uh, and and we do all of that. At the same time, we’re trying to make sure that supply and demand are balanced and at the same time, while trying to make sure that transmission system infrastructure is being properly managed within safe operating limits, Um, and but at the point when demand exceeds supply, we have to correct that. We have to do it nearly immediately because if we don’t, the system will begin to automatically correct that for us. And when that happens, cascading outages occurred when a generator trips offline because it has to do that to prevent further damage that will have an impact to other generators on the system. Those generators begin to trip, and as Mawr and Mawr generators begin to trip in, an uncontrolled fashion load can no longer be served. And we had nothing we can do at that point. When that begins, toe happen. It happens in milliseconds and manual operators can. I mean, we just can’t intervene manually. Operators can’t stop that when we get to that point. So everything we’ve done has been done to protect against farm or extreme events from occurring that impact many more consumers and impact them in a much deeper MAWR impactful longer lasting way. Um, 30 minutes of our 50 minutes of outage on Monday, three hours and 21 minutes of outage on Tuesday that affected up to 6.5% of our load. Um, you know, that was that was doing everything we could do to try to continue to keep the lights on for as many people as we could in a very responsible way, as Mike mentioned today, Um, today has been much better, and we hope that that continues. Um, and and we hope that that continues through tomorrow. It it appears based on our best projections, that we could very well be in an emergency alert level to tonight again, on a level two does not mean we’re gonna shed load. It’s just simply, uh, emphasizing the need for consumers to voluntarily reduce consumption. But we could very well be there later tonight. And, uh, and throughout the night, um and then maybe early into the morning tomorrow, we do hope by the end of the day tomorrow that, uh, you know, given weather conditions and and load continuing to drop that we could very, very well be out of this situation entirely on and hope to see that by Friday We’re going to continue to do the best we can. And we’re working a zwelling we can with our members. I know they have been talking to us, Uh, just every hour, every practically every minute. We talked to them, and, uh, and our neighbors as well. And, uh, you know, without that interconnected system and network of neighbors helping each other out, this situation could have been a lot worse. And I know that’s that’s hard to hear if you’ve been affected by it. And I don’t we don’t want anybody to be affected by it. But if you have been, I know that’s hard to hear. This could have been worse, but it But it could be. I mean, that’s just the truth of the situation that could have been worse. And we’re continuing to work on. It will continue to try to make this a Z painless as possible, and and we hope to be out of it very soon.
SPP again asks Oklahomans to conserve energy, declares Energy Emergency Alert Level 2
Updated: 7:54 PM CST Feb 17, 2021
The Southwest Power Pool again has asked Oklahomans to conserve electricity after declaring an Energy Emergency Alert Level 2.The increase to Level 2 went to effect at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, hours after the Southwest Power Pool decreased it to Level 1.“We continue to urge all homes and businesses throughout our 14-state region to conserve electricity, but are not directing any interruptions of service at this time,” Southwest Power Pool officials said in a news release. “The public should follow their service providers’ directions regarding local outages, tips for conservation and safety.”As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, OG&E officials said there are no power outages on their system. They also said OG&E has restoration personnel ready to restore power as quickly and safely as possible to address any issues.OG&E officials also said that, per the Southwest Power Pool, temporary service interruptions remain on hold for now.”This could change at any time as extreme cold weather in the region, combined with the high demand for natural gas, continues,” OG&E officials said in a news release. “We will make every effort to communicate with customers about service interruption and estimated restoration should mandated interruptions resume.”OG&E officials said customers can help by taking conservation steps such as:Set thermostats lower than usual, if health permits.Postpone using major electric appliances such as stoves, dishwashers and clothes dryers until midday or after 9 p.m. when the demand for electricity decreases.Turn off electric lights and appliances that you do not need or are not using.Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing nonessential production processes.
OKLAHOMA CITY —
The Southwest Power Pool again has asked Oklahomans to conserve electricity after declaring an Energy Emergency Alert Level 2.
The increase to Level 2 went to effect at 6:20 p.m. Wednesday, hours after the Southwest Power Pool decreased it to Level 1.
“We continue to urge all homes and businesses throughout our 14-state region to conserve electricity, but are not directing any interruptions of service at this time,” Southwest Power Pool officials said in a news release. “The public should follow their service providers’ directions regarding local outages, tips for conservation and safety.”
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At 6:20 p.m. CT on Feb. 17, SPP declared an Energy Emergency Alert Level 2, which requires SPP to direct its member companies to issue public conservation appeals. The alert will remain in effect until further notice. pic.twitter.com/3pvtbVNvoh
— Southwest Power Pool (@SPPorg) February 18, 2021
As of 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, OG&E officials said there are no power outages on their system. They also said OG&E has restoration personnel ready to restore power as quickly and safely as possible to address any issues.
OG&E officials also said that, per the Southwest Power Pool, temporary service interruptions remain on hold for now.
“This could change at any time as extreme cold weather in the region, combined with the high demand for natural gas, continues,” OG&E officials said in a news release. “We will make every effort to communicate with customers about service interruption and estimated restoration should mandated interruptions resume.”
OG&E officials said customers can help by taking conservation steps such as:
Set thermostats lower than usual, if health permits.
Postpone using major electric appliances such as stoves, dishwashers and clothes dryers until midday or after 9 p.m. when the demand for electricity decreases.
Turn off electric lights and appliances that you do not need or are not using.
Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing nonessential production processes.
Elon Musk discusses technology companies moving to Austin, Texas on Joe Rogan’s podcast, calling it a ‘mega boom.’ FOX Business’ Susan Li with more.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Saturday asked Russian President Vladimir Putin if he was interested in having a conversation on Clubhouse, the up-and-coming social media platform that connects people via audio chat rather than posting status updates or sending direct messages.
Musk tweeted directly to the official Twitter account of the President of Russia, asking: “would like to join me for a conversation on Clubhouse?”
He followed that with a tweet entirely in Russian which translated as: “it would be a great honor to speak with you.”
ELON MUSK SAYS HE BOUGHT DOGECOIN FOR SON ‘SO HE CAN BE A TODDLER HODLER’
It was not immediately clear why Musk was interested in chatting with the Russian dictator, or if there was any response.
The icon for the social media app Clubhouse is seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. (AP)
Since its launch less than a year ago, Clubhouse, the invitation-only audio chat app has caught the attention of tech industry bigshots like Musk and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. It has even stirred of interest by the Chinese government to block it in the country.
The iPhone-only app, once you’re in, lets you start or listen into conversations on a whole host of topics, from tech to pro sports, parenting, Black literature, and so on. There are no posts, photos or videos — only people’s profile pictures and their voices.
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Conversations can be intimate, like a phone call, or might include thousands of people listening to a talk by boldface names, like a conference or stage interview. Think part podcast, part conference call, part social media. It’s free to use and there are no ads, at least not at this point.
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have parted ways with star defensive end J.J. Watt after he asked for his release.
Watt was drafted by the Texans in 2011 with the No. 11 pick and became the face of the franchise, winning three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2012-15. Watt is one of three players to win that award three times.
“I have sat down with the McNair family and I have asked them for my release and we have mutually agreed to part ways at this time,” Watt said in a video posted to Twitter. “I came here 10 years ago as a kid from Wisconsin who’d never really been to Texas before. And now I can’t imagine my life without Texas in it. The way that you guys have treated me, besides draft night. I mean, you guys booed me on draft night. But every day after that, you treated me like family. And I truly feel like you’re my family.
“…I’m excited and looking forward to a new opportunity, and I’ve been working extremely hard. But at the same time, it is always tough to move on. And I just want you guys to know that I love you. I appreciate you. I appreciate the McNair family for drafting me and giving me my first opportunity in the NFL.”
Watt is coming off just his second 16-game season since 2015, as he has dealt with several season-ending injuries since then.
Houston, I wanted you to hear this directly from me… pic.twitter.com/YqT3P6Lb6l
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 12, 2021
“Change is never easy, especially when it involves the ones you love. J.J.’s impact on not only our organization, but the entire Houston community, is unlike any player in our franchise’s history,” said Texans Chair and CEO Cal McNair in a prepared statement. “I told J.J. earlier this week that we will forever consider him a Texan. We take solace in knowing that this is not a goodbye but a ‘see you soon.’ For now, we will build upon the foundation that J.J. created here and forge ahead with our unwavering mission to bring a championship to our city, create memorable experiences for our fans and do great things for Houston.”
In 2020, Watt ranked 15th out of 119 qualified pass rushers in Pass Rush Win Rate, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He finished the season with five sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception he returned for a touchdown.
Watt is by far the most productive pass rusher in Texans history, with 101 career sacks. There have only been two players in team history with more than 30 career sacks (Whitney Mercilus with 54 and Mario Williams with 53) since the franchise’s first season in 2002.
During the season, Watt made it clear he was not interested in playing for a team going through a “rebuild.”
“I don’t think it’s any secret that I don’t have 10 years left in this league,” Watt said in November. “I personally believe that I do have a few more great ones left in me. But you also can’t … I’m not looking to rebuild. I’m looking to go after a championship, and that’s what I want to do.”
When asked at the end of the season whether he felt the 2021 Texans would be in rebuilding-mode, Watt said there are “so many unknown factors to that situation right now that you can’t definitively say that.”
Watt had one year remaining on the contract he signed in 2014. He was owed $17.5 million in 2021, but his salary was not guaranteed. He is now free to sign with another team.
“Following the change in Administration, the Department of Justice has reconsidered the government’s position,” Deputy Solicitor General Edwin Kneedler told the court in a letter Wednesday. The United States “no longer adheres to the conclusions” in a brief filed by the Trump administration.
Kneedler said the federal government now maintains that the individual mandate is constitutional but even if the court disagrees it should sever the mandate and allow the rest of the sprawling law to stand. Such a move would maintain the status quo, as the penalty associated with the mandate has been brought down to zero.
The case was argued on November 10 and is currently before the justices, with a decision expected by July.
The letter marks one of the most substantive reversals the Biden administration has taken, but it does not mean the case will go away. It was originally brought by Republican attorneys general, and the Trump administration later joined on.
The challengers argue that the law’s individual mandate is unconstitutional and that every other provision of the sprawling 900 page law should fall with it. California, joined by other Democratic-led states, as well as the House of Representatives, supports the law and has urged the justices to leave it in place.
The lawsuit concerns a move Congress made in 2017 to cut the penalty for those who lacked insurance to zero as part of the year-end tax overhaul. Critics raced to court arguing that the Supreme Court in 2012 had upheld the law under Congress’ tax power, therefore, since the mandate is no longer tied to a specific tax penalty, it has lost its legal underpinning.
The move highlights President Joe Biden’s belief that the law is on strong legal footing. Last month, Biden reopened enrollment on the Affordable Care Act exchanges, announcing that he was signing executive orders related to the law to “undo the damage Trump has done.”
This story has been updated with additional context.
A Texas woman who was charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot filed a motion in federal court seeking permission to travel so she could attend a weekend trip to Mexico.
Jenny Cudd, a small business owner in Midland, Texas, was charged with violent entry or disorderly conduct and entering a restricted building. She live-streamed from within the U.S. Capitol Building as a pro-Trump mob stormed Congress last month, according to a criminal complaint filed in January. Five people died as a result of the riot.
Cudd’s attorneys filed a motion Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to allow her to travel despite the charges.
“Prior to the alleged offense at issue, Ms. Cudd planned and prepaid for a weekend retreat with her employees for the dates of February 18 through February 21, 2021, in Riviera Maya, Mexico,” the motion said. “This is a work-related bonding retreat for employees and their spouses.”
Cudd is currently out on a recognizance bond and the conditions of her release include check-ins with pretrial services and to “stay away’ from Washington, D.C., unless for court hearings and meetings with her attorneys.
Supporters of Donald Trump enter the Capitol’s rotunda on Jan. 6, 2021.Saul Loeb / AFP – Getty Images file
According to the FBI, Cudd described being part of a crowd that forced their way into the building on Facebook Live. The criminal complaint against her included a quote from a recorded statement by Cudd, where she said, “I f—ing charged the Capitol today” and “Hell yes, I am proud of my actions.”
“We just pushed, pushed, and pushed, and yelled ‘go’ and yelled ‘charge.’ We just pushed and pushed, and we got it,” Cudd said. She added later, “We did break down the Nancy Pelosi’s office door.”
The complaint cited a local television interview Cudd had two days after the incident at the Capitol, where she said “we the Patriots did storm the U.S. Capitol” and that she would “absolutely” do it again, the complaint said.
It appears that the FBI is referencing an interview with Texas NBC affiliate KWES on Jan 8., where Cudd made those same statements.
Cudd also told KWES that despite using the term “we” in her Facebook Live, she did not mean to include herself in her statements and was using “we” generally. Cudd told KWES that she did not personally break any laws.
“Those things did happen by other people, but I was not a part of that,” Cudd said. “I said in reference to it that ‘we the patriots stormed the Capitol,’ and some people went into different offices and different things like that.”
The attorneys who filed the motion on behalf of Cudd did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. Cudd has not yet entered a plea to the charges against her, according to court records.
Doha Madani
Doha Madani is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
