Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some pressing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening.
We’re learning more about the suspect in this past weekend’s apparent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the Secret Service says it needs to make big changes to stay effective, and the Trump campaign deals with yet another lawsuit.
Also, a key ruling has just been issued that concerns the ballots in a significant battleground state, and a new study points out that we’re all breathing in a whole bunch of plastic.
Affidavit Reveals New Details on Trump Assassination Attempt
A recently released affidavit shares new details about the investigation into Ryan Routh and his alleged attempt to assassinate Trump on Sunday at his Florida golf course.The affidavit was written by FBI agent Mark Thomas, and it reveals specific details of the suspect’s capture and the weapon in his possession.
The report says that police officers brought an unidentified witness to the scene of Routh’s arrest in Martin County, Florida. The witness says he had seen Routh fleeing the golf course and allegedly driving away in a vehicle at a high rate of speed, following an encounter with the Secret Service detail protecting Trump.
The FBI agent writes in his report that the black Nissan SUV that Routh was driving at the time of his arrest had a license plate from a Ford pickup truck that had been reported stolen.
The agents investigating the course perimeter found a loaded SKS-style rifle equipped with a scope, not an AK-47 as had been previously reported.
Interesting to note, that type of rifle is typically made in China or the former Soviet Union, but the report does not say how Routh obtained the gun.
You should know that during his initial court appearance earlier this week, Routh was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
Prosecutors with the Department of Justice (DOJ) allege that Routh camped near the golf course for about 12 hours, lying in wait for the former president. When the Secret Service agent discovered him, Routh was less than 500 yards from Trump, but the report states that the suspect did not fire any shots.
So far, no motive has been given, although posts on social media and a book that Routh had written express critical views of Trump.
Secret Service Changes Course
The U.S. Secret Service is changing its approach on protecting current and former presidents, following the latest assassination attempt on Trump.Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe says that he had ordered a “paradigm shift” to the way the agency operates, and the changes began after the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Rowe says that the protective methods of the Secret Service remain sound, but they need to adapt to a changing threat environment by emphasizing readiness instead of simply being reactive.
The agency’s acting director confirms that Congress is supporting the Secret Service, but says the agency can’t afford to have failures, so more is required from policymakers to make sure the agency continues to function at a high level.
He says that these significant challenges include more personnel and more effective training for counter snipers, which he says should be the best trained in the world.
Rowe says the Secret Service has been doing “more with less for decades.” He also notes that the organization’s agents are currently “redlining” at their limits, including maxing out their overtime shifts, and he says these agents are being pushed to work more simply to keep up with growing demand.
At a recent press conference, the director pointed out that his staff have been tasked with securing a number of significant events this year alone, including both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, along with a visit by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Secret Service currently employs over 6,500 special agents, uniformed officers, and support personnel, and operates with an annual budget estimated at $3 billion.
Judge Rules on Trump Using Eddy Grant Song
A federal judge says that Trump can no longer use Eddy Grant’s 1983 hit song “Electric Avenue” as part of his campaign.The judge recently ruled that Trump did not show that he met the allowed exceptions, which are laid out in copyright law, in his defense against the suit. The case was filed by musician Eddy Grant after Trump used the song in a video during his 2020 presidential campaign without the permission of the artist.
Back in August 2020, Trump’s Twitter account posted a video that contained 40 seconds of the song. The video featured a Trump train and clips of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Grant asked the Trump campaign to take down the post, but they did not, so he sued the campaign and Trump.
The judge determined that Trump and his campaign used Grant’s song without paying a licensing fee despite the work being copyrighted. The video was viewed more than 13.7 million times before Twitter, now known as X, took it down.
It’s also interesting to note that about two weeks prior to last week’s ruling, a different judge also ordered the Trump campaign to stop using an Isaac Hayes song at rallies after the Hayes estate brought a case.
Judge Denies RFK Jr.’s Bid to Withdraw From Wisconsin Ballot
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name will remain on the general election ballot in Wisconsin, after a county circuit judge earlier this week rejected the former independent presidential candidate’s request to have it removed.You may recall that last month, Kennedy withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed Trump. Since then, he’s been asking to have his name removed from the ballot in a number of key battleground states, hoping to boost Trump’s odds of winning.
The Wisconsin election commission had voted to keep Kennedy on the ballot despite his request, and earlier this month, Kennedy sued it, alleging discrimination against independent candidates.
In denying Kennedy’s request, the judge ruled that Wisconsin statutes clearly indicate that once a candidate files valid nomination papers, they must remain on the ballot.
The judge said during the case that many county clerks had already sent out ballots for printing with Kennedy’s name on them, due to a looming deadline. Kennedy’s attorneys suggested that the name could be covered with stickers, but the judge said that the stickers could interfere with ballot-counting machines and could lead to legal disputes.
You should know that Kennedy’s attorneys have already asked the 2nd District Court of Appeals to take up the case, and that the appeals court was waiting for this latest ruling before deciding whether or not they would address the issue.
The Wisconsin ruling is the latest chapter in Kennedy’s efforts to withdraw from ballots in key swing states, where the competition between Trump and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, remains very tight.
So far, Kennedy has also lost his bid to be removed from the ballot in Michigan, but he won the legal battle in North Carolina, where the state’s Supreme Court ruled that leaving his name on the ballot would create confusion and harm the rights of voters.
Microplastics Found in Human Brain for the First Time
Researchers have found tiny pieces of plastic in the human brain, and they say that the discovery of these microplastics could directly impact a person’s brain function.In a study published earlier this week in Brazil, researchers say they’ve identified tiny pieces of plastic in what’s called the olfactory region of the brain. That’s the part of the brain located above the nose and is responsible for our sense of smell.
You should know that tiny plastic particles are often present in everyday items like food packaging and clothing, and the researchers suggest that people may be getting these microplastics in their brains by breathing them in through the nose, similar to certain types of air pollution.
The study’s lead investigator told The Epoch Times that researchers still don’t know the exact health consequences of the discovery, but she notes that previous animal studies suggest this may be linked to conditions that affect nerve tissue. Other animal studies suggest that the presence of microplastics in the brain can also affect sensory processing and memory.
To make matters worse, the researcher also says that the additives used to color certain plastics and make them heat resistant can also be harmful, and might lead to cancer.
The recently released study looked at the brains of 15 deceased people, aged 33 to 100, and found microplastics in eight of those individuals. The particles that were discovered were much smaller than very fine dust, about the size of one-13th the width of a human hair.
You should know that microplastics have previously been found in a number of other body tissues, including the lungs and liver, and that research on their health consequences is still in the very early stages.
To minimize exposure to microplastics, the researcher recommends that you limit the use of plastic containers, choose natural fibers for clothing, and avoid heating plastics in the microwave.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Wednesday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
*(Don’t forget the News Brief Motto): We’re portable, affordable, and always on-demand.
And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from G.K. Nielson, who said: “Successful people are not gifted; they just work hard, then succeed on purpose.”
Before we go, today is National Cheeseburger Day, a day set aside to honor America’s favorite sandwich with a slice of cheese—and don’t forget the fries.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program was written today by David Ross.
Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.
Enjoy the remainder of your Wednesday, and we’ll see you right back here next time for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
For now, let’s all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
