Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some compelling stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
Authorities have identified the suspect in Monday’s tragic Wisconsin school shooting, the alleged killer of a prominent health care executive is indicted in New York, and Democrats in the U.S. Senate propose a Constitutional amendment to change the way we vote for our nation’s highest office.
Also, President-elect Donald Trump says it might be time to rethink the way most of us get our mail, and a judge issues a significant ruling against the incoming commander-in-chief regarding his appeal in a high-profile felony case.
Authorities Identify Suspect in Wisconsin School Shooting
Local authorities have identified the shooter as 15-year-old female student Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha at Abundant Life Christian School.Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes says that Rupnow was found among the several injured victims by his officers once they arrived at the campus. He went on to say that she died from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound while she was being transported to the hospital.
Barnes said that investigators have been talking with the suspect’s grieving family, and that they are cooperating fully in an attempt to figure out how the teenage girl got hold of the handgun which was used in the deadly shooting.
So you know, both a teacher and a teenage student were killed at the school, and six others were injured, including another teacher as well as five students, two of whom remain in critical condition.
The police chief says that the shooting occurred during a period known as study hallway, and that a mix of students from different grades were present at the time. He also said the original 911 call which reported the shooting was made by a student in second grade—meaning that the caller was likely just 7 or 8 years old—and at this point, a motive for this tragic killing remains unknown.
Some background on the school—they have over 400 students ranging from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and on social media, they say that they’re grateful for all of the support they’ve received. They also say they’ve been flooded with thoughts and prayers, and that they take comfort in the fact that “this great nation is behind us.”
Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO Killing Charged With First-Degree Murder
On Tuesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said that 26-year-old Luigi Mangione is facing 11 charges, including one count of murder in the first degree as well as two counts of murder in the second degree.In the indictment, prosecutors allege that the shooting was premeditated and that it was committed as an act of terrorism. The district attorney said that state law allows for a terrorism designation whenever the crime is intended either to intimidate a civilian population or to affect the conduct of the government.
Mangione has also been charged with a significant number of counts related to criminal possession of a weapon.
In announcing the indictment, the district attorney called the crime a “frightening, well-planned, targeted murder” that was intended to cause shock, attention, and intimidation.
Additionally, the city’s police commissioner said there’s been a “shocking and appalling” celebration of cold-blooded murder since the shooting took place on Dec. 4. She went on to call the killing a senseless act of violence that put New Yorkers at risk and an offense to principles of justice.
In case you don’t recall, police officials allege that Mangione approached Thompson from behind outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown and fired shots at the victim using a 9-millimeter 3D-printed handgun equipped with a silencer.
Officials now say that Mangione potentially faces life in prison without parole. He remains in custody in Pennsylvania where he was captured, and his lawyers say that their client intends to plead not guilty to all charges.
Senate Democrats Propose Constitutional Amendment to Abolish Electoral College
Senate Democrats are now proposing a constitutional amendment that would abolish the Electoral College and ensure that the country’s presidential elections are determined by the popular vote.So you know, Article II of the Constitution directs states to appoint electors who cast their votes for both president and vice president. For many years, that practice has come under significant criticism from a large number of Democrats, and now, they say it’s time to end it.
One senator who proposed the new legislation says that it’s time to retire an “18th-century invention” that disenfranchises millions of Americans. Another lawmaker called the Electoral College both “outdated” and “undemocratic,” and he said that “no one’s vote should count for more based on where they live.”
In a statement released earlier this week, the senators pointed out that in all but five presidential elections, the winner also received the most votes. However, they went on to say that two of those five times came in the last 25 years, handing the presidency to candidates whom the majority of voters rejected.
By the way, they were referring to former President George W. Bush in the year 2000 as well as then-candidate Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote in 2016 but won the contest based on the Electoral College.
Additionally, members of the U.S. House of Representatives recently proposed a similar bill that would also change the Constitution to elect the president and vice president by popular vote.
You should know that eliminating the Electoral College would require two-thirds of both the House and Senate to vote in favor of the measure, along with 75 percent of all state legislatures.
However, both of these new bills and their proposed changes to the Constitution seem likely to fail next year, when a Republican-majority Congress returns to Washington.
Earlier this year, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of Kentucky panned a call by his state’s governor to abolish the Electoral College, which he says protects Americans from the whims of the majority and encourages presidential candidates to travel to smaller states.
Additionally, five years ago, President-elect Donald Trump also commented on the “brilliance” of the Electoral College, saying that without it, smaller states would lose power.
Trump Says He’s Looking Into Privatizing US Postal Service
President-elect Donald Trump says that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) could be privatized, and that he’s seriously looking into the possibility.In a government reform plan released during his first term, the White House said that the USPS itself has called the agency’s current model unsustainable. The plan said that major changes are needed, and that one model which has been successful internationally has been to transition to some form of private management or ownership.
For the record, some benefits of privatizing would include a greater ability to adjust pricing, along with the potential to negotiate both pay and benefits for workers.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden opposes privatization, and a couple of years ago, he signed legislation that earmarked nearly $50 billion in financial relief to the postal service over a 10-year period.
Additionally, the American Postal Workers Union, which represents over half a million USPS employees, says that privatization would cause problems, including making it more difficult to send and receive mail.
By the way, the postal service lost nearly $10 billion during the last fiscal year, and it has tens of billions of dollars in liabilities, including hundreds of thousands of retirement pensions.
Last week, the postmaster general told Congress that he’s recently implemented some significant changes aimed at modernizing the agency, including both cost controls and innovative offerings that meet the needs of customers. He also asked lawmakers to revise the service’s pricing plan and to give the agency more funding.
Judge Rejects Trump’s Immunity Arguments in NY Business Records Case
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has rejected a long list of immunity-related arguments made by Trump’s attorneys in an effort to have the guilty verdict he received earlier this year thrown out.In a recent letter sent to lawyers of the president-elect, the judge said that Trump had either waited too long or had failed to preserve objections to the evidence presented against him. He also said that information that was related to Trump’s arguments did not receive protection under the doctrine of presidential immunity.
Merchan said that the evidence related to Trump’s claims relates entirely to unofficial conduct, and that therefore, they can receive no immunity protections. The judge went on to say that if an error did occur regarding the evidence in question, it was harmless “in light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt.”
Yesterday, Trump responded to the decision by saying that Merchan had “completely disrespected the United States Supreme Court” and its historic decision regarding immunity.
So you know, Trump had argued that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office improperly used certain evidence that contained material covered by presidential immunity, including the testimonies of some former White House advisers.
His arguments stemmed from a decision rendered by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year, which held that presidents enjoy different levels of immunity from criminal prosecution for official conduct.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re gonna call it a wrap for the Wednesday edition of the Epoch Times News Brief.
The countdown to Christmas continues, and we’re just seven days away from the big holiday.
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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 C. Everett Koop who told us:
“Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation.”
Dr. Koop served as the 13th surgeon general of the United States under President Ronald Reagan from 1982 to 1989.
For all of us here at the Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.
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For now, let’s all continue to watch out for one another and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
