Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Tuesday, June 18, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas. We’ve got a lot to get to, and here’s what’s going on. Six more states are blocking the Biden administration’s controversial Title IX rule change, the weather is making big news nationwide, and Democrats respond to a critical Supreme Court ruling. Also, a federal appeals court allows a natural gas pipeline project to move forward, and a former presidential candidate has a sad announcement.
Federal Title IX Transgender Rule Blocked in 6 More States
A federal judge has issued an order temporarily blocking the Biden administration’s Title IX transgender rule. The judge found that the Department of Education (DOE) exceeded its statutory authority in a way that was “arbitrary and capricious.” In fact, he issued his order beginning with the phrase, “There are two sexes: male and female.”This controversial new rule changed the definition of “sex” to include gender identity. It gives males who identify as females the right to use women’s restrooms and locker rooms, and join female-only organizations. The rule also changes the definition of “harassment” to include using pronouns that represent a person’s biological reality instead of using pronouns that reflect a person’s chosen gender identity.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman praised the ruling, saying that the judge’s order makes it clear that the DOE’s attempt to redefine “sex” to include “gender identity” is unlawful and beyond the agency’s regulatory authority.
The injunction applies to students in grades K–12 in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The rule change is also blocked in at least five other states. So you know, schools who refuse to comply with the new Title IX rule risk losing essential federal funding and face the prospect of lawsuits from the federal government.
President Joe Biden first issued an executive order in March 2021 asking the DOE to amend the definition of Title IX to include protections in schools free of “discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.” The department finalized the rule changes in April, which are set to take effect on Aug. 1.
Weather Agency Warns Heat Wave to Impact Tens of Millions of Americans This Week
The National Weather Service (NWS) is issuing heat advisories and excessive heat warnings this week for much of the East Coast and Midwest. They say it’s going to get progressively hotter as the week goes on, and so you know, the heatwave may last through early next week.The NWS and other weather services say that tens of millions of Americans across more than a dozen states will feel the heat. Major cities include Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Philadelphia, and New York City. They go on to say this current heat wave has the potential to be the longest in duration, for some areas, in decades. Some forecasters say these brutally hot temperatures are caused by a “mega heat dome” that will be centered on Pennsylvania.
Health officials warn the high temperatures can cause heat strokes, so stay indoors if you can and drink lots of water. Symptoms of heat stroke include dry reddish skin, headaches, chills, convulsions, seizures, delirium, and slurred speech.
Oddly enough, while heat is on tap for some areas, late-season snow is forecast for the northern Rockies and a winter warning has been issued for parts of Montana and north-central Idaho. As much as 20 inches of snow is predicted for higher elevations around Glacier National Park.
Schumer Plans Vote on Bill to Ban Bump Stocks After Supreme Court Ruling
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he plans to hold a vote on legislation this week that would outlaw bump stocks. His decision follows the high court’s decision that struck down a Trump-era ban on that particular gun accessory last week.The 6–3 opinion by the justices found that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) exceeded its authority when it interpreted a federal firearms statute defining machine guns to include the use of bump stocks. Bump stocks are attached to a semiautomatic rifle that causes the gun’s recoil to fire more rapidly. The bump stock ban was enacted by the Trump administration in 2017 after a Las Vegas concert shooting in which 60 people were killed and 400 others were injured.
Mr. Schumer says he will bring the bill up for unanimous consent, which means that only one senator has the power to block the measure. It’s pretty much guaranteed that at least one Republican senator will move to block the bill.
The Senate majority leader says the only way to close this loophole is through legislation and that he has the support of his party, who have said they want more action on gun violence. President Biden, who blasted the Supreme Court ruling, stated that he’ll sign a bill banning bump stocks immediately if it reaches his desk.
US Appeals Court Allows Gas Pipeline Expansion in Northeast
The Appeals Court for the District of Columbia says a gas pipeline expansion in New York can move forward. A panel of three judges unanimously rejected a case from the environmental group Food & Water Watch, which argued that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) didn’t adequately quantify emissions from upstream drilling for the gas that would be transported through the pipeline expansion.The group also claimed FERC violated a 1970 law that mandated federal agencies consider environmental impacts when making proposals and also said the agency didn’t consider laws in New York City or New York state when they approved the project, known as the Tennessee Gas Pipeline LLC’s East 300 Upgrade.
The project’s goal is to essentially deliver more gas to New Yorkers by placing new gas compressor stations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. The D.C. appeals court, in ruling against the environmentalist group, says FERC was able to properly determine the emissions generated by the pipeline and also found that the agency addressed the major concerns about the project’s emissions and met its regulatory standards.
The Tennessee Gas Pipeline is a series of natural gas pipelines that run from the coasts of Texas and Louisiana into Tennessee, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and several other states. It also delivers natural gas to northeastern states including West Virginia, New York, and New Jersey, and is one of the largest pipeline systems in the country.
Nikki Haley Mourns Loss of Her Father: ‘We Will Miss You Dearly’
Nikki Haley announced that her father, who had been ill for some time, passed away. Mrs. Haley made the announcement in a posting on the social media platform X. Her post included a picture of herself hugging her father, Ajit Sigh Randhawa.Mr. Randhawa and his wife, both devout Sikhs, immigrated from the Punjab region of India to Canada and then to rural South Carolina back in 1969. He went on to become a professor of biology at the historically black college Voorhees in South Carolina. Mrs. Haley’s mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa, was a teacher who later became a successful businesswoman with her own fashion boutique.
In a speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention, Mrs. Haley said she was the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. She served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018 during the Trump administration. In February of last year, Mrs. Haley announced her run for president in the 2024 election and while campaigning in June, took time off to take care of her sick father.
She ended her campaign in March and has since taken a position with the conservative think tank the Hudson Institute.
Our condolences go out to the Haley family as well.
Looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Tuesday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
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And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap things up with a very “notable” quote:
Helen Keller told us: “A bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you fail to make the turn.”
Helen Keller was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist, lecturer, and so much more—an extraordinary woman.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas. Thanks a million for spending a bit of your Tuesday with us, enjoy the rest of your day, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief! Have an awesome day today. Bye for now.
