Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Wednesday, June 5, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, and today, we have a number of important stories to get to, including President Joe Biden’s new asylum order, a billionaire’s renewed support for former President Donald Trump, and the controversy over potential prison time for the former president. Also, we’ll share with you a story about Sen. Roger Marshall’s call to halt gain-of-function research and Rep. Jim Jordan’s push against politicized prosecutions.
Biden Unveils Order to Limit Asylum at Southern Border
President Biden has issued an executive order to halt asylum requests at the southern border if daily crossings exceed 2,500 people. The border will remain shut until that daily average stays below 1,500 for at least one week.It’s part of the administration’s recent efforts to tackle the ongoing immigration crisis, which is seen as a major concern for many voters. President Biden signed the executive order yesterday next to several lawmakers from communities along the Mexico–U.S. border.
At the same time, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland will jointly issue a rule limiting asylum eligibility for those entering the country unlawfully.
President Biden’s order is based on the Immigration and Nationality Act, which is the same statute that former President Donald Trump cited during his term. Senior Biden administration officials separated themselves from the previous administration’s approach, saying that these measures are only temporary, target only unlawful entries, and are far more humane.
Significant exceptions remain for migrants expressing fear as well as unaccompanied minors. These new measures will also apply to migrants from China and other nations beyond the Western hemisphere.
This move follows a failed legislative attempt to suspend asylum requests based on daily crossing numbers. The administration has criticized congressional Republicans for not taking action on this issue.
Opponents of the legislation, such as Rep. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), voiced their concerns. Mr. Schmitt criticized the bill for granting citizenship to illegal immigrants, formalizing the “catch-and-release” program, and allowing illegal entry through a phone app. He also argued that it limits the ability of a future president to secure the border by setting a required minimum number of illegal immigrants to be admitted daily, potentially making high levels of migration permanent.
President Biden, on his first day in office, ended several of President Trump’s immigration policies, including the “Remain in Mexico” policy. As a result, most illegal immigrants, including families, are released into the United States while awaiting their asylum claims, a process that can take years.
Currently, there are over 2 million pending immigration court cases.
Since we’re on the topic of presidents, don’t forget that President Biden and President Trump are scheduled for their first debate on June 27, just a few weeks away.
Silicon Valley Billionaire Says He’s Backing Trump Again
Billionaire investor Doug Leone, who distanced himself from President Trump after the Capitol breach in 2021, has announced his renewed support for Trump’s reelection campaign.Mr. Leone says he’s concerned about the country’s direction, including “our broken immigration system, the ballooning deficit, and foreign policy missteps” as reasons for his decision. Mr. Leone, who was previously one of President Trump’s top Silicon Valley donors, also served on the Trump administration’s task force to advise on the reopening of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite condemning President Trump’s role in the Capitol breach in 2021, Mr. Leone continued to donate to other Republican campaigns.
Mr. Leone is not the first billionaire to reaffirm his support of former President Trump’s campaign.
Stephen Schwarzman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone, says he’s also supporting the former president, saying that he’s concerned about rising anti-Semitism and the direction of economic, immigration, and foreign policies.
Mr. Leone’s renewed support for President Trump comes shortly after the former president’s trial, where he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business documents. The Trump campaign said in a recent statement that they successfully raised $141 million in May. The campaign expressed gratitude for the support and emphasized that the “real verdict” will come in the upcoming November elections.
Republican Senators Say Judge Should Not Sentence Trump to Prison
Republicans in Congress are warning a New York judge to not sentence President Trump to prison, saying that it would constitute a “further abuse of power” and demonstrate that “the courts have been weaponized.” Some senators are skeptical that President Trump will receive a prison sentence due to his lack of criminal history.Late last month, jurors convicted President Trump on a felony charge.
President Trump’s lawyers say that they’ll appeal the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.
Judge Juan Merchan, who was overseeing President Trump’s case, has said that his sentencing date is scheduled for July 11. The former president could face up to 20 years in prison under state law.
Republican members of Congress continue to support President Trump, saying that they’ll still vote for him even if he does end up in prison.
President Trump told Fox News over the weekend that he would be fine serving time in prison. He said: “I’m okay with it,” and told one of his lawyers: “You don’t beg for anything.”
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on CNN recently that prosecutors should recommend the same sentencing as others convicted of similar crimes, claiming that President Trump has shown no acceptance of responsibility or remorse.
Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. believes a prison sentence for President Trump would be surprising, given his status as the likely GOP nominee for president.
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Marshall Pushes to Halt US-Sponsored Gain-of-Function Research
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) is introducing a resolution to ban federal funding for gain-of-function research, which is a process that makes some viruses more deadly. The resolution, named the Viral Gain-of-Function Research Moratorium Act, aims to place a moratorium on federal research grants involving this type of research.The legislation highlights concerns that COVID-19 may have resulted from gain-of-function research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) in China.
Dr. Marshall told The Epoch Times recently: “There are over 1 million reasons why we must stop the deadly gain-of-function research, and that’s the 1.1 million Americans who died of Covid-19,” adding that “viruses have escaped even the most secure labs conducting gain-of-function research.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has testified that the NIAID did not fund gain-of-function research at the WIV. However, the resolution quoted Dr. Fauci in 2021, with him saying that “it is impossible to guarantee that researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology did not use American funds to perform gain-of-function research on coronaviruses” between 2014 and 2017.
The WIV has been suspected as the source of COVID-19 and has been conducting experiments on bat coronaviruses since at least 2016.
Dr. Marshall has demanded answers from Dr. Fauci about his role in downplaying the lab leak theory and his involvement in censoring information requests. In April 2023, the senator released a 300-page report on COVID-19’s origins after two years of research, which suggests that COVID-19 might have resulted from two separate lab leaks in Wuhan.
Dr. Marshall is seeking unanimous consent from the Senate to hold a vote on the resolution. He believes that gain-of-function research should be halted until proper oversight and guidelines are in place to prevent dangerous outbreaks.
Jim Jordan Proposes Measures to ‘Defund Lawfare Activities’ of Trump Prosecutors
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has introduced a number of measures aimed at defunding lawfare activities conducted by politically biased prosecutors.Mr. Jordan’s proposal seeks to curb politicized prosecutions and protect the fundamental freedoms of all Americans, it says. This comes in the wake of President Trump being found guilty of falsifying business records in New York, in charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The former president is also facing criminal charges in Washington, Florida, and Georgia.
Mr. Jordan contends that the proposal will act as a powerful check against the federal government’s weaponization.
Mr. Jordan’s proposal includes measures to defund the FBI, protect whistleblowers, prevent the implementation of radical regulations, halt funding for President Biden’s immigration policies, and prohibit government censorship.
He pointed out that the House Judiciary Committee has already passed bills addressing politicized prosecutions and transparency in forfeiture fund expenditures.
He said he also wants to prohibit funding for online censorship and suppression of free speech, which are linked to various governmental and non-governmental entities.
We’re running short on time, so we’ll wrap things up and make that one our final story for the Wednesday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
From Kathy James: Thank you so much for the news brief with Bill Thomas. I really appreciate his voice and delivering the news.
We also heard from Patty, Jacqueline Hughes, and my pal Russell checked in as well.
*(The News Brief Motto): We’re portable, affordable, and we’re always on-demand.
And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap things up with a very “notable” quote:
It was Walt Disney who said: “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
And you are hereby encouraged to pursue your dreams!
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas. We appreciate you starting your day with us, enjoy the remainder of your day, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for the Thursday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief! Have an incredible day today. Bye for now.
