The Wedding: American actress Meghan Markle arrived alone and climbed the steps of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle this morning. She was joined inside by Prince Charles, who walked her the rest of the way down the aisle. Markle wore an elegantly simple white dress with a train that had to be 30 feet long.
The couple made their vows at 7:46 EST.
Among the 600 guests are Oprah Winfrey, Elton John, Serena Williams, George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, actor Idris Elba, and singer James Blunt.
The queen announced that Harry will be titled Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. Ms. Markle will be known as Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex.
It is a more relaxed affair than the usual stuffy royal weddings. As sixth in line for the throne Harry doesn’t have to bear the full weight of tradition, and he has always been a fun guy anyway. His bride is American, bi-racial and has been married before. She, like Kate Middleton, injects warmth and a human touch into the royal family.
An American gospel chorus sang “Stand by Me.”
Episcopal Priest Michael Curry from Raleigh, NC brought a hint of African American thunder and life to his sermon. And humor. He said, “The power of love is demonstrated by the fact that we’re all here. Two young people fell in love and we all showed up.”
Madness: back in the states, the American madness of school shootings continues.
Nine students and a teacher are dead after a 17-year-old wearing a trench coat and armed with a shotgun, a revolver, and pipe bombs opened fire at a Houston-area high school yesterday. It was the deadliest school shooting since the Parkland, Fla. Massacre in February, but not the only one. It was at least the 9th.
A substitute teacher and a Pakistani exchange student are among the dead.
Police arrested Dimitrios Pagourtzis and booked him on capital murder charges. His Facebook profile, which has been taken down, featured a picture of him wearing a t-shirt with “Born to Kill” on the chest, and his Instagram had a message that said, “we all die sometime,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
Investigators later found pipe bombs on campus and a pressure cooker bomb in an off-campus location. Pagourtzis was reported to have used his father’s guns.
President Trump said, “My administration is determined to do everything in our power to protect our students, secure our schools and to keep weapons out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and to others.”
Gov. Gregg Abbott delivered platitudes that sent the message he plans to do nothing about gun control. “We need to do more than just pray for the victims and their families,” Abbott said as he called for laws protecting people and the Second Amendment. “It’s time in Texas … to make sure this tragedy is never repeated.” It’s all been said before.
The Insider: A retired college professor acted as an informant on the Trump campaign for the FBI investigating Russian influence on the American election, The Washington Post reports. The professor met with three Trump advisers during the campaign, the paper reports.
News that there may have been an informant has fanned President Trump’s claims that he’s the target of a political witch hunt. “Reports are there was indeed at least one FBI representative implanted, for political purposes, into my campaign for president,” he tweeted Yesterday. “It took place very early on, and long before the phony Russia Hoax became a ‘hot’ Fake News story. If true — all time biggest political scandal!”
The Post says there’s no evidence that an informant was actually planted within the campaign, only that the professor met with Trump aides and reported on the meetings.
World: Three people survived a plane crash that killed more than 100 passengers and crew aboard a Boeing 737 that took off from Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuban authorities say. The plane built in 1979 was owned by a Mexican company.
Family Planning: The Trump administration has proposed a regulation that would ban family planning and health facilities that receive federal funding from making referrals to abortion services. Organizations like Planned Parenthood are already prohibited from using federal money to perform abortions, but this change, if enacted, would prevent them from even telling a patient where to go for an abortion.
Insufficient Postage: President Trump has personally pressured Postmaster Gen. Megan Brennan to double the rate the Postal Service charges Amazon.com and other companies to ship packages, The Washington Post reports. It would cost those companies billions of dollars.
The Post says Brennan has argued back that the Postal service has a contractual relationship with Amazon that’s good for the USPS and changing it would require regulatory approval. Amazon has become one of President Trump’s targets because it was founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos, who now owns the “Fake News” Washington Post.
The Obit Page: Joseph Campanella, a television character actor with a mile-long list of credits, died this week at home in Los Angeles at age 93. His television career began in the 1950s. Campanella appeared in dozens of television series including “Route 66,” “The Fugitive,” and “Mission: Impossible.” From 1969 to 1972 he starred alongside Burl Ives in the law drama, “The Bold Ones: The Lawyers.”

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