Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Saturday, June 15, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, and we’ve had a busy news week, but it’s not quite over yet, so let’s dig into all the big stories. The Department of Justice will not go after the U.S. attorney general, a federal judge blocks President Joe Biden’s changes to Title IX, and the U.S. Supreme Court hands a victory to Second Amendment supporters. Plus, a Michigan judge rules in favor of Republicans regarding absentee ballots, and there may be an easier way to renew your passport. We’ll get into all those stories coming up, and here’s our first big story.
DOJ Won’t Pursue Criminal Contempt Charges Against Garland
The DOJ says it will not pursue charges against Attorney General Merrick Garland after the House voted to hold him in contempt for failing to comply with a subpoena. The subpoena ordered Mr. Garland to turn over audio tapes of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur regarding his investigation into the president’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.The DOJ sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson saying Mr. Garland’s refusal to turn the tapes over to the House did not amount to a crime, and they also claimed executive privilege. The House resolution to hold the AG in contempt came about after a months-long standoff between Republicans and the DOJ over the production of the audio recordings of President Biden’s two-day interview with the special counsel.
Republicans have said that they want the tapes to verify Mr. Hur’s assertions, while Democrats argue that Republicans want to use the tapes in campaign ads to portray President Biden as a frail leader with a poor memory who’s too old to serve another term in the Oval Office.
Mr. Hur, who faced criticism from Democrats and the White House for commenting on the president’s cognitive capacity in his report, did not recommend charges against the president.
Federal Judge Blocks Biden Admin’s Title IX Transgender Rules in 4 States
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty granted a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the Biden administration’s new Title IX rule in Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, and Idaho.
The current Title IX rule prohibits discrimination in schools based on sex, but the Biden administration’s expansion now includes sexual orientation and gender identity. Proponents say it protects transgender students, but opponents say it puts females at risk, and forces them to share facilities and compete in sports with biological males.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, a Republican, issued a statement calling the ruling a victory for women, saying it strikes down the Biden administration’s “radical gender ideology and assault on Title IX.”
The changes, which stop short of preventing administrators from banning males who identify as females from competing against females, were set to go into effect Aug. 1. Schools that refused to comply with the new rule faced the prospect of losing essential federal funding along with the threat of lawsuits from the federal government.
Judge Doughty said that the plaintiffs in the case are likely to succeed on the merits of their lawsuit and that the final Title IX rule violates free speech and the free exercise of religion. He also said the rule change runs counter to the spending clause of the U.S. Constitution. Former President Donald Trump has promised to undo the Title IX changes if he’s reelected in November.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Bump Stock Ban
By a vote of 6–3, the justices ruled that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) exceeded its authority when it interpreted a federal firearms statute to outlaw the use of bump stocks.A bump stock is a firearm accessory that allows users to shoot at a continuous rate, resulting in hundreds of rounds fired per minute. The justices said the devices do not convert otherwise legal semi-automatic weapons into illegal machine guns, and that’s because it does not fire more than one shot “by a single function of the trigger,” as the statute requires. Machine guns have been illegal in the United States since 1934.
Former President Trump ordered the ATF to ban the sale and possession of bump stocks in 2018 after a man in Las Vegas, using multiple guns modified by bump stocks, killed 60 people and wounded 400 more within 11 minutes. The case was brought by a gun shop owner in Austin, Texas, who was forced to surrender two bump stocks after the ban went into effect.
Many Democrats were unhappy about the decision, claiming more people will die. President Biden says he wants Congress to immediately send him a bill that bans bump stocks and assault weapons and that he will sign that bill immediately. It’s a critical story and one we’ll be keeping a close watch on.
Judge Rules Against Michigan’s Absentee Ballot Signature Presumption Rule
A Michigan judge has just struck down a key part of guidance sent to local election officials by Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office.Judge Christopher Yates ruled that the Michigan secretary of state and the director of elections did not follow the state’s election laws when they issued rules presuming signatures attached to absentee ballot applications and submissions were valid.
According to Judge Yates’s order, Ms. Benson issued guidance including a presumption of validity for absentee ballots and absentee ballot applications at the local level. Republicans sued, claiming the 2023 guidance, specifically that clerks should initially presume the validity of absentee ballot signatures, was issued secretly and was inconsistent with Michigan’s constitution. The judge’s ruling agreed, finding that the presumption of validity was “incompatible” with Michigan’s constitution.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) says the recent court victory underscores the importance of its ongoing focus on election integrity and was cheered by RNC Chairman Michael Whatley, who says it confirms that safeguards are required for absentee ballots.
US Passports Can Now Be Renewed Online: State Department
The U.S. Department of State is launching a beta trial for Americans looking to renew their passports online. To apply online, the applicant must be at least 25 years old and have a passport that’s been valid for 10 years. Qualifying passports will have been issued between 2009 and 2015, and the name, date of birth, place of birth, and gender will remain exactly the same as listed on the passport needing to be renewed.Also, the online renewal service is only available for a regular tourist passport. Special issuance passports, like those used for diplomatic or official purposes, cannot be renewed online. Applicants must also live in the United States.
For now, the online renewal option is only available for routine service, and the application process takes six to eight weeks, provided the original passport has not been reported lost or stolen—and one more thing, the passport cannot be damaged.
The agency’s decision to allow online renewal for passports follows President Biden’s executive order in 2021. It called on the secretary of state to create an online passport renewal experience that does not require physical documents to be mailed.
Looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Saturday 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:
It was mathematician Michael Larsen who said: “A diamond is a piece of coal that stuck to the job.”
Mr. Larsen is an American mathematician and a distinguished professor of mathematics at Indiana University Bloomington. If you’re having trouble with your algebra homework, he’s the guy who can help.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas. Thanks a million for spending a bit of your weekend with us, enjoy the rest of your day, and we’ll see you right back here next time for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief! Have an awesome day today. Bye for now.
