America's Most Prolific Serial Killer Dies At 80 - NPR

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The most prolific serial killer in U.S. history died Wednesday at age 80. Samuel Little had confessed to 93 murders in more than a dozen states over 35 years. Handout/FBI via Getty Images

Handout/FBI via Getty Images

Samuel Little, a convicted murderer who the FBI says is the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history, died Wednesday at age 80.

Little was serving three consecutive life-without-parole sentences for the deaths of three women in the late 1980s in Los Angeles, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in its announcement of his death.

Little died at 4:53 a.m. An official cause will be determined by the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office.

In 2018, Little confessed to the murder of 93 women nationwide from the 1970s through 2005. The FBI says it believes all of his confessions are credible.

Since then, law enforcement officers from around the U.S. have tried to connect details of his confessions to unsolved homicides in their regions. They had verified at least 50 of Little's murder confessions as of last year.

Work continues on corroborating more than 40 other cases, an effort that is likely to become more difficult now that Little is dead.

Little's victims and crimes

Little was convicted in 2014 for the murder of the three women killed in Los Angeles in the 1980s, after he was extradited to California from Kentucky on a narcotics charge.

Once in custody for the drug charge, detectives collected DNA from Little that tied him to three unsolved homicides from 1987 and 1989. In all three cases, the women were beaten and strangled, and their bodies were dumped in an alley, a dumpster and a garage, the FBI said. It became Little's modus operandi throughout his 35-year killing spree.

Little's life of crime started when he dropped out of high school and left his home in Ohio in the 1950s. He lived a nomadic life, getting by through stealing, selling his loot and using the money for drugs and alcohol. He had frequent run-ins with police but was often let go after a short stint in jail, the FBI said.

Samuel Little lived a nomadic lifestyle, often stealing to get money for drugs and alcohol. Despite his frequent run-ins with police, he evaded a lengthy stint behind bars until 2012, when he was arrested on a narcotics charge. Handout/FBI via Getty Images

Handout/FBI via Getty Images

He chose his murder victims because they were marginalized and vulnerable — often prostitutes or women addicted to drugs, according to the FBI. Their bodies, if they were found, typically went unidentified, and their murders were not carefully investigated.

Little's method of killing — strangulation — didn't always leave reliable signs for local police to determine whether the woman's death was a homicide. The FBI said he usually stunned or knocked out his victims before strangling them, thus leaving no signs of a struggle.

Law enforcement investigation

Little first confessed to the murders in 2018 when he was interviewed by Texas Ranger James Holland. Holland was investigating an unsolved homicide in Odessa, Texas, at the time. Little shared details of the killings because he sought to move prisons and offered information as a deal with police. It's unclear why he wanted a prison transfer or if detectives agreed to make that deal or if Little shared information separate from any agreement with law enforcement.

His confessions touched off a nationwide effort to confirm that Little was tied to unsolved killings in more than a dozen states. Over the course of almost two years, Little shared detailed information about each of his victims, how he killed them and the general location of their bodies.

Little also drew incredibly detailed pictures of his victims, which the FBI has used to help solve the murders. The FBI created a webpage listing the details Little shared with detectives, his drawings, where he believes each woman was from and Little's videotaped confessions.

Detectives hope that with the public's help and the information from Little, they can resolve the remaining 40 unresolved cases.

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December 31, 2020 at 04:48PM
https://www.npr.org/2020/12/31/951918219/samuel-little-the-nations-most-prolific-serial-killer-dies-at-80

America's Most Prolific Serial Killer Dies At 80 - NPR

https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Hall of Fame running back, Broncos all-time great Floyd Little dead at 78 - NFL.com

little.indah.link

When Floyd Little was a child, he would tie his legs together with belts. His bowed legs were a source for adolescent teasing, so out of necessity it became a bedtime habit, as routine as putting on his pajamas or brushing his teeth.

"I had belts around my thighs, belts around my knees, belts around my calves so I could wake up one day and my legs would be straight," Little said. "I hated being bowlegged."

Little never grew out of his condition but did over the years grow to appreciate his legs. In fact, he used them to succeed two legendary running backs at Syracuse, bring credibility to -- and help save -- a struggling professional football franchise, and carve a Hall of Fame career for himself.

Little died Friday at the age of 78 after battling cancer since May and being placed in hospice care in November. He is survived by his wife DeBorah and three children: Marc Little, Kyra Little DaCosta and Christy Little Jones.

"Floyd Little was not only a Hall of Fame running back, he was a Hall of Fame person. Faith, family and football were the pillars of his life," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in statement. "I was so fortunate to know Floyd and witnessed first-hand the impact he had on others. Whenever he represented the Broncos at the annual NFL Draft, others immediately sought to greet him and his genuine excitement of being with his fellow Legends and his pride and passion for the Broncos was unmistakable."

Pro Football Hall of Fame president and COE David Baker announced that the Hall of Fame flag in Canton will be flown at half-staff in Floyd's memory.

Growing up in the projects of New Haven, Connecticut, Little had little reason to believe he could reach the heights he eventually did. Besides the bowed legs, he wasn't exceptionally tall for an athlete, or fast or strong. In the classroom he struggled, too.

In his Pro Football Hall of Fame speech at his induction in 2010, he talked about how "the road was not always so easy and clear," how it led to him becoming an "angry young man" who used it to his detriment, eventually getting kicked out of Hillhouse High School in New Haven.

He was at a crossroads in his life, but with the help of "those who saw good in me," he enrolled at Bordentown (New Jersey) Military Institute, at the behest of BMI headmaster Dr. Harold Morrison Smith, who wanted to integrate the predominantly all-white private military prep school. Little thrived at BMI, where as a senior he became class president and the most coveted halfback recruit in the nation.

In all, he had 47 scholarship offers, including from all the top schools at the time, but three interested him most: Notre Dame, Army and Syracuse.

In 1963, the Irish were selling him on an ascending football program and their Heisman candidate (and eventual winner), quarterback John Huarte. West Point sent in their biggest gun, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who assured him he could become the first African-American to ascend to the rank of general by committing to the service academy.

Syracuse? The Orangemen had an ace of their own: Ernie Davis, who in 1961 became the first African-American player to win the Heisman. Unlike MacArthur, who met with Little in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, Davis visited Little at his third-floor apartment in the projects of New Haven.

"He was well-dressed, he was very articulate, and he was sharp," Little recalled in a 2008 interview. "He sat on the couch between my mom and my sister, said, 'What's up?' and put his arms around them. He had just won the Heisman, just signed the contract with Cleveland, and just signed a contract with Pepsi. And there he was, at my house in the ghetto of New Haven, Connecticut, talking to me about going to Syracuse and what it did for him. All my mom and my sisters could say is that if they could produce someone like that, then you have no alternative as to where you ought to go."

The two ended up going to dinner where Davis made his pitch in the bathroom of the restaurant. By the time they were finished, there was little doubt where the much sought-after halfback was headed and Little gave his promise to Davis of his intent to attend Syracuse.

Davis died from Leukemia at age 23, three months after his visit with Little, who would be played by the late actor Chadwick Boseman in "The Express", a movie about Davis' short but impactful life. Little kept his promise and signed with Syracuse.

Little followed in the Syracuse running lanes of Jim Brown and Davis before him, even wearing the famed No 44 jersey both of those legendary Orangemen adorned. And he did no disservice to it. Over a three-year stretch (1964-'66), he finished fifth in the Heisman race twice and was an All-American three times. Hs 2,704 career rushing yards at Syracuse surpassed both Brown and Davis and still stands as the sixth-most all-time at the school.

In the 1967 NFL Draft -- the first common draft to include the AFL -- Denver selected Little sixth overall. Two years earlier, the Broncos nearly left Denver, but a local ownership group stepped in to keep the team in the Mile High City. Little -- the first rookie to ever become a captain of an NFL team and who was nicknamed "The Franchise" -- became the Broncos' first real superstar. His success on the field, along with his willingness to drum up financial support to expand the team's stadium to meet NFL standards, was instrumental in keeping the team in Denver.

"He fit right in with those other two backs from Syracuse," said Gil Brandt, who was the Dallas Cowboys' director of player personnel during Little's time in Denver. "He didn't get the notoriety Jim Brown and Ernie Davis did (in the NFL) because he played at Denver. He was a beacon of light on some very poor teams."

In his nine-year career with the Broncos that ended in 1975 -- two years before Denver reached its first Super Bowl -- Little played on only two winning teams and never sniffed the playoffs. It wasn't for a lack of effort on his part.

He made five Pro Bowl appearances and rushed for 6,323 yards in his career, which at the time of his retirement ranked No. 7 on the NFL's all-time list. He was one of the league's most versatile players, as adept at kickoff returns and receiving as he was at running the ball.

The Broncos used him as an inside runner, despite being only 195 pounds. But his strong leg drive and balance were too much for defenders to handle.

"He was short in stature, he wasn't the fastest nor the strongest, but his vision and balance were superior," Brandt said.

Ironically, Little often credited his bowed legs for being able to keep his balance after being hit. He said he would break tackles because his wide stance made it difficult for defenders to wrap up and get both arms around his legs.

He overcame much in his 78 years, often turning negatives into positives. His early struggles in school didn't stop him from earning a law degree from the University of Denver in 1975 or become a successful businessman. And when he received the bad news from his oncologist in last May, he vowed to beat the cancer in his body; in June it looked as if he was winning the race, but it caught him from behind in the same month he saw his friend, Joe Biden (they attended Syracuse at the same time) win the presidency.

"Because of those that encouraged me in those early years, I am here today," Little said in his Hall of Fame speech a decade ago. "So, I want to encourage you, every student, every athlete, every person who will hear my voice, don't listen to the naysayer. I had plenty of those. Don't listen to those that will judge you for your rough edges. Don't focus on your weakness so you won't become a victim. Find the goodness in you that says, Yes, I can be a good student. Yes, I can be a good son and daughter. Yes, I can be a positive role model. Yes, I can, because the good in you is better than the worst in most. The choice is yours. Be the best that you can be."

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January 03, 2021 at 02:23AM
https://www.nfl.com/news/hall-of-famer-broncos-all-time-great-floyd-little-dead-at-78

Hall of Fame running back, Broncos all-time great Floyd Little dead at 78 - NFL.com

https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

'He will get his final judgement' | Serial killer Samuel Little's death leaves behind unsolved questions - WBIR.com

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'He will get his final judgement' | Serial killer Samuel Little's death leaves behind unsolved questions  WBIR.com The Link Lonk


January 02, 2021 at 09:58AM
https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/he-will-get-his-final-judgement-serial-killer-samuel-littles-death-leaves-behind-unsolved-questions/51-9fb9366a-5196-47b1-96e0-36e7b296507f

'He will get his final judgement' | Serial killer Samuel Little's death leaves behind unsolved questions - WBIR.com

https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

Trail Blazers’ Nassir Little Reflects on his COVID-19 Recovery - Blazer's Edge

little.indah.link

Following an early-December COVID-19 diagnosis, Trail Blazers forward Nassir Little has yet to appear in a regular season game. In a conversation with The Athletic’s Jason Quick, Little detailed his battle with the virus.

Shortly after reporting to training camp, Little learned that he was among the Blazers’ personnel that tested positive for COVID-19. That positive test result was followed by an intense set of symptoms. In his discussion with Quick, Little described the process that eventually led to him losing 20 pounds in less than a month.

“For me, I was on the worst part of the spectrum, the hard end of the disease,” Little said. “I didn’t have to go to the hospital or be on a ventilator, but I went through it bad. It hit me really bad. For about seven to 10 days, I was just really miserable.”

[...]

“I would have moments when I was in a hoodie, a hat, sweatpants, socks and a blanket, and I would be shivering like I was in 20-degree weather,” Little said.

In regards to how he contracted the virus, Little was unable to pinpoint when he was exposed. At Thanksgiving, Little’s family visited, but only two of the four visiting family members ended up testing positive for COVID-19.

“I tried to calculate where I caught it, and it’s impossible to really calculate,” Little said. “We had some staff members test positive, so I could have got it at the gym, and I could have given it to my dad and sister, or they could have had it and gave it to me when they came for Thanksgiving. Or, I could have touched something and rubbed my eyes … it’s impossible to know.”

Little, who suffered dehydration issues that were preceded by a concussion in the NBA’s Orlando-based bubble, explained that he taking a cautious approach to his return to the floor.

“I don’t want to put a date on it, because I learned the last time I rushed myself,” Little said. “I’m just going to go with it. I definitely don’t want to just sit in this space of being in limbo, so I know I’m going to have to push through some discomfort at some point and take that jump. But for the most part, I’m just dealing with it, and doing what I have to do that day.”

After his selection at No. 25 in the 2019 NBA Draft, Little appeared in 48 regular season games for the Blazers last season. In those outings, he averaged 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.

You can read the full feature from Quick at The Athletic (subscription required).

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January 02, 2021 at 01:53AM
https://www.blazersedge.com/2021/1/1/22209404/trail-blazers-nassir-little-covid-19-positive-test-recovery-timeline

Trail Blazers’ Nassir Little Reflects on his COVID-19 Recovery - Blazer's Edge

https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

With little ado, a divided United Kingdom casts off into the Brexit unknown - Reuters

little.indah.link

By Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Holton

6 Min Read

LONDON (Reuters) - The United Kingdom began the New Year outside the European Union’s orbit on Friday after ending a tempestuous 48-year liaison with the European project, its most significant geopolitical shift since the loss of empire.

Brexit took effect in substance on Thursday at the strike of midnight in Brussels, or 2300 London time (GMT), at the end of a transition period that largely maintained the status quo for 11 months after Britain formally left the EU on Jan. 31, 2020.

“This is an amazing moment for this country,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 56, said in his New Year’s Eve message. “We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it.”

For five years, the frenzied gyrations of the Brexit crisis dominated European affairs, buffeted the sterling markets and tarnished the United Kingdom’s reputation as a reliable pillar of Western stability.

Supporters cast Brexit as the dawn of a newly independent “global Britain”, but the drama has weakened the bonds that bind England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

After all the vitriol, one of the most significant events in European history since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 passed with little fanfare: the United Kingdom slipped away, shrouded in the silence of the COVID-19 crisis.

With gatherings banned in London and most of the country due to soaring rates of infection, there were few outward displays of emotion when the Great Bell known as Big Ben tolled 11 through a scaffold on Thursday night.

Related Coverage

As EU leaders and citizens bade farewell, Johnson said there would be no bonfire of regulations to build a “bargain basement Dickensian Britain” and that the country would remain the “quintessential European civilization”.

But Johnson, the face of the Brexit campaign, has been short on detail about what he wants to build with Britain’s “independence” - or how to do it while borrowing record amounts to pay for the COVID-19 crisis.

His 80-year-old father, Stanley Johnson, who had voted for Britain to remain in the bloc, said he was applying for a French passport, which would give him rights and freedoms in Europe now inaccessible to most Britons.

“LIES AND FALSE PROMISES”

In the June 23, 2016, referendum, 17.4 million voters, or 52%, backed Brexit while 16.1 million, or 48%, backed staying in the bloc. Few have changed their minds since. England and Wales voted out but Scotland and Northern Ireland voted in.

“Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on,” Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Thursday.

Slideshow ( 5 images )

The referendum revealed a United Kingdom polarised about much more than the European Union, and fuelled soul searching about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, the legacy of empire and what it now means to be British.

Leaving was once the far-fetched dream of a motley crew of “eurosceptics” on the fringes of British politics: the UK joined in 1973 as “the sick man of Europe”. Two decades ago British leaders were arguing whether to join the euro. They never did.

But the turmoil of the euro zone crisis, attempts to integrate the EU further, fears about mass immigration and discontent with leaders in London helped Brexiteers win the referendum with a message of patriotic, if vague, hope.

Slideshow ( 5 images )

“We see a global future for ourselves,” said Johnson who won power in 2019 and, against the odds, clinched a Brexit divorce treaty and a trade deal, as well as the biggest Conservative parliamentary majority since Margaret Thatcher.

Supporters see Brexit as an escape from a doomed Franco-German project that has stagnated while the United States and China surged. Opponents say Brexit will weaken the West, further reduce Britain’s global clout, and make it poorer and less cosmopolitan.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a New Year’s Eve broadcast, said Britain would remain a friend and an ally but Brexit was the product of “many lies and false promises”.

European leaders and many Britons opposed to Brexit have long accused Johnson of caricaturing the EU and falsely blaming Britain’s problems on Brussels, while making exaggerated claims about the potential benefits of leaving the bloc.

DIVIDED KINGDOM

Fuelled partly by Brexit which many Scots oppose and partly by the poor handling of COVID-19 by Johnson’s government, support for Scottish independence has risen, threatening the 300-year-old political union between England and Scotland.

Sturgeon has said that if her Scottish National Party wins elections to Edinburgh’s semi-autonomous parliament scheduled for May, an independence referendum should take place quickly.

With the United Kingdom now out of the Single Market and European Customs Union, there is almost certain to be some disruption at borders. More red tape means more cost for those importing and exporting goods.

After haggling over a trade deal for months, the British government published 70 pages of case studies just hours before its departure, advising companies on what rules to follow at the new UK-EU border.

The Port of Dover expects volumes to drop off in early January. The most worrisome period, it says, will be in mid- to late January when volumes pick up again.

At the freight terminal in southern England giving access to the Channel Tunnel, traffic volumes were low on Friday, as usual on the first day of the year. For the small number of trucks that went through to France, new procedures worked well, said John Keefe, director of public affairs at operator Eurotunnel.

“At 11 o’clock last night, the first truck rolled through the new procedures, just as quickly as the truck in front of it had rolled through when there weren’t any,” he said.

Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon in London, Ben Makori and Yann Tessier in Folkestone, Clement Rossignol and John Chalmers in Brussels

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January 01, 2021 at 07:51PM
https://www.reuters.com/article/britain-eu/with-little-ado-a-divided-united-kingdom-casts-off-into-the-brexit-unknown-idUSL8N2JC0DO

With little ado, a divided United Kingdom casts off into the Brexit unknown - Reuters

https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

With little ado, a divided United Kingdom casts off into the Brexit unknown - Reuters

little.indah.link

By Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Holton

5 Min Read

LONDON (Reuters) -The United Kingdom left the European Union’s orbit on Thursday, turning its back on a tempestuous 48-year liaison with the European project for an uncertain post-Brexit future in its most significant geopolitical shift since the loss of empire.

Brexit, in essence, took place at the strike of midnight in Brussels, or 2300 London time (GMT), when the United Kingdom ended the de facto membership, known as the transition period, which lasted 11 months after it formally left on Jan. 31.

For five years, the frenzied gyrations of the Brexit crisis dominated European affairs, haunted the sterling markets and tarnished the United Kingdom’s reputation as a confident pillar of Western economic and political stability.

After years of Brexit vitriol, one of the most significant events in European history since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union passed with little fanfare: The United Kingdom slipped away, serenaded by the silence of the COVID-19 crisis.

Supporters cast Brexit as the dawn of a newly independent “global Britain”, but it has weakened the bonds that bind England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland into a $3 trillion economy.

“This is an amazing moment for this country,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 56, said in his New Year’s Eve message. “We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it.”

As EU leaders and citizens bade farewell, Johnson said there would be no bonfire of regulations to build a “bargain basement Dickensian Britain” and that the country would remain the “quintessential European civilization”.

But Johnson, the face of the Brexit campaign, has been short on detail about what he wants to build with Britain’s “independence” - or how to do it while borrowing record amounts to pay for the COVID-19 crisis.

His 80-year-old father, Stanley Johnson, who voted to remain in 2016, said he was in the process of applying for a French passport.

Slideshow ( 5 images )

BREXIT

In the June 23, 2016, referendum, 17.4 million voters, or 52%, backed Brexit while 16.1 million, or 48%, backed staying in the bloc. Few have changed their minds since. England and Wales voted out but Scotland and Northern Ireland voted in.

The referendum showed a United Kingdom divided about much more than the European Union, and fuelled soul searching about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, the legacy of empire and what it now means to be British.

Leaving was once the far-fetched dream of a motley crew of “eurosceptics” on the fringes of British politics: the UK joined in 1973 as “the sick man of Europe” and two decades ago British leaders were arguing about whether to join the euro. It never did.

But the turmoil of the euro zone crisis, attempts to integrate the EU further, fears about mass immigration and discontent with leaders in London helped Brexiteers win the referendum with a message of patriotic, if vague, hope.

“We see a global future for ourselves,” said Johnson who won power in 2019 and, against the odds, clinched a Brexit divorce treaty and a trade deal, as well as the biggest Conservative majority since Margaret Thatcher, in the 2019 election.

Supporters see Brexit as an escape from a doomed Franco-German project that has stagnated while the United States and China surged ahead. Opponents say Brexit will weaken the West, further reduce Britain’s global clout, make people poorer and lessen its cosmopolitanism.

When the Great Bell known as Big Ben tolled 11 through a scaffold, there were few outward displays of emotion in Britain as gatherings are banned under coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

Slideshow ( 5 images )

UNITED KINGDOM?

After the United Kingdom leaves the Single Market or the Customs Union, there is almost certain to be some disruption at borders. More red tape means more cost for those importing and exporting goods across the EU-UK border.

After haggling over a trade deal for months, the British government published 70 pages of case studies just hours before its departure advising companies on what rules they would have to follow at the new UK-EU border.

The Port of Dover expects volumes to drop off in early January. The most worrisome period, it says, will be in mid- to late January when volumes pick up again.

Support for Scottish independence has risen, partly due to Brexit and partly due to COVID-19, threatening the 300-year-old political union between England and Scotland.

Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon has said an independence referendum should take place in the earlier part of the devolved parliament’s next term, which begins next year.

“Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on,” Sturgeon said.

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton; Additional reporting by Clement Rossignol and John Chalmers; Writing by Nick Macfie, Hugh Lawson; editing by Frances Kerry, Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCool

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December 31, 2020 at 11:16AM
https://in.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu/a-divided-united-kingdom-exits-eus-orbit-enters-brexit-unknown-idUSKBN2950CL

With little ado, a divided United Kingdom casts off into the Brexit unknown - Reuters

https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en

With little ado, a divided United Kingdom casts off into the Brexit unknown - Reuters

little.indah.link

By Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Holton

5 Min Read

LONDON (Reuters) -The United Kingdom left the European Union’s orbit on Thursday, turning its back on a tempestuous 48-year liaison with the European project for an uncertain post-Brexit future in its most significant geopolitical shift since the loss of empire.

Brexit, in essence, took place at the strike of midnight in Brussels, or 2300 London time (GMT), when the United Kingdom ended the de facto membership, known as the transition period, which lasted 11 months after it formally left on Jan. 31.

For five years, the frenzied gyrations of the Brexit crisis dominated European affairs, haunted the sterling markets and tarnished the United Kingdom’s reputation as a confident pillar of Western economic and political stability.

After years of Brexit vitriol, one of the most significant events in European history since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union passed with little fanfare: The United Kingdom slipped away, serenaded by the silence of the COVID-19 crisis.

Supporters cast Brexit as the dawn of a newly independent “global Britain”, but it has weakened the bonds that bind England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland into a $3 trillion economy.

“This is an amazing moment for this country,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 56, said in his New Year’s Eve message. “We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it.”

As EU leaders and citizens bade farewell, Johnson said there would be no bonfire of regulations to build a “bargain basement Dickensian Britain” and that the country would remain the “quintessential European civilization”.

But Johnson, the face of the Brexit campaign, has been short on detail about what he wants to build with Britain’s “independence” - or how to do it while borrowing record amounts to pay for the COVID-19 crisis.

His 80-year-old father, Stanley Johnson, who voted to remain in 2016, said he was in the process of applying for a French passport.

Slideshow ( 5 images )

BREXIT

In the June 23, 2016, referendum, 17.4 million voters, or 52%, backed Brexit while 16.1 million, or 48%, backed staying in the bloc. Few have changed their minds since. England and Wales voted out but Scotland and Northern Ireland voted in.

The referendum showed a United Kingdom divided about much more than the European Union, and fuelled soul searching about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, the legacy of empire and what it now means to be British.

Leaving was once the far-fetched dream of a motley crew of “eurosceptics” on the fringes of British politics: the UK joined in 1973 as “the sick man of Europe” and two decades ago British leaders were arguing about whether to join the euro. It never did.

But the turmoil of the euro zone crisis, attempts to integrate the EU further, fears about mass immigration and discontent with leaders in London helped Brexiteers win the referendum with a message of patriotic, if vague, hope.

“We see a global future for ourselves,” said Johnson who won power in 2019 and, against the odds, clinched a Brexit divorce treaty and a trade deal, as well as the biggest Conservative majority since Margaret Thatcher, in the 2019 election.

Supporters see Brexit as an escape from a doomed Franco-German project that has stagnated while the United States and China surged ahead. Opponents say Brexit will weaken the West, further reduce Britain’s global clout, make people poorer and lessen its cosmopolitanism.

When the Great Bell known as Big Ben tolled 11 through a scaffold, there were few outward displays of emotion in Britain as gatherings are banned under coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

Slideshow ( 5 images )

UNITED KINGDOM?

After the United Kingdom leaves the Single Market or the Customs Union, there is almost certain to be some disruption at borders. More red tape means more cost for those importing and exporting goods across the EU-UK border.

After haggling over a trade deal for months, the British government published 70 pages of case studies just hours before its departure advising companies on what rules they would have to follow at the new UK-EU border.

The Port of Dover expects volumes to drop off in early January. The most worrisome period, it says, will be in mid- to late January when volumes pick up again.

Support for Scottish independence has risen, partly due to Brexit and partly due to COVID-19, threatening the 300-year-old political union between England and Scotland.

Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon has said an independence referendum should take place in the earlier part of the devolved parliament’s next term, which begins next year.

“Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on,” Sturgeon said.

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton; Additional reporting by Clement Rossignol and John Chalmers; Writing by Nick Macfie, Hugh Lawson; editing by Frances Kerry, Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCool

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December 31, 2020 at 11:20AM
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu/with-little-ado-a-divided-united-kingdom-casts-off-into-the-brexit-unknown-idUSKBN2950CL

With little ado, a divided United Kingdom casts off into the Brexit unknown - Reuters

https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en