News Brief: Federal Judge Overturns ATF Ban, Biden Vows to Push Supreme Court Reform, 134-Year-Old American Furniture Chain Closing Down

An AR-15 rifle at FT3 tactical shooting range in Stanton, Calif., on May 3, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, July 26, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, and as we head into the weekend, we’ve got some major stories to share with you today, and here’s what’s going on.

A judge rules in favor of the Second Amendment, President Joe Biden wants to make changes to the Supreme Court, and California’s governor issues an executive order aimed at homeless encampments. Also, a nationwide retail chain that’s been around for over a century is shutting down, and Russian and Chinese aircraft are intercepted near Alaska.

We will get to each one of these very important stories, but first up, another federal ruling in favor of the Second Amendment.

Federal Judge Overturns ATF Ban on Trigger Devices That Enhance Firing Speed

A federal judge in Texas has handed down a decision in favor of gun rights groups who sued the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) over its ban on something called forced reset triggers.

Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor ruled that the ATF exceeded its authority when it classified forced reset triggers as machine guns and, with very narrow exceptions, made them illegal. If you didn’t already know this, those devices enable a firearm to fire shots more rapidly.

A little background: The case was brought by two groups, Texas Gun Rights and the National Association for Gun Rights, whose initial complaint challenged the ATF’s classification of forced reset triggers on the premise that the ban was arbitrary and capricious, and violated constitutional rights. In his ruling against the ATF, Judge O’Connor said that the agency overstepped its regulatory authority and failed to provide a valid rationale for the ban. He also said that the Constitution grants elected lawmakers, and not federal agencies, the right to draft laws and that while this particular case focused on firearms, it’s about much more, specifically the “rampant evasion of the democratic process.”

Hannah Hill, executive director of the National Association for Gun Rights, says her group is thrilled with the court’s decision, calling it a “blow to the ATF’s unconstitutional agency overreach.” Meanwhile, the ATF had argued in legal briefs that outlawing the devices is needed to protect public safety.

Interesting to note, the judge also ordered the agency to stop sending any notices or letters to manufacturers or gun dealers stating that forced reset triggers are machine guns, and also ordered them to stop interfering in the production or sales of those devices.

So you know, this ruling may be appealed to a higher court. And speaking of higher courts, President Biden wants to make some changes to the U.S. Supreme Court before his time in office is up.

Biden Vows to Push Supreme Court Reform in Final Months in Office

The president made those remarks in his Wednesday night speech from the Oval Office, saying that he plans to call for Supreme Court reform in his final stretch as commander-in-chief.

During his speech, President Biden addressed his decision not to seek reelection and laid out plans for his final six months in office, including boosting economic growth, lowering inflation, tightening gun control, and safeguarding the planet from what he calls a “climate crisis.”

As for the Supreme Court, he says changes are needed because it’s critical to democracy.

In recent weeks, there’s been media speculation that President Biden is considering establishing an enforceable ethics code for Supreme Court justices.

While the president has resisted pressure from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to adopt measures including imposing term limits on Supreme Court justices or packing the high court with more justices, he did create a commission to examine possible Supreme Court reforms, including ending lifetime appointments.

The Supreme Court’s current makeup has allowed for several key rulings celebrated by conservatives, including the landmark 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which effectively overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to decide their own abortion policies. Also, a 2023 decision struck down the use of racially based admissions policies at American colleges, ending the use of so-called affirmative action programs in higher education.

You should know that a few months ago, while President Biden was still in the running for a second term, he said that whoever wins the presidential election in November will likely be able to appoint several Supreme Court justices.

It’s going to get more interesting as we get closer to November’s election. Meanwhile, a recent Supreme Court decision related to California’s homeless crisis has the governor doing an about-face.

Gov. Newsom Orders California Officials to Remove Homeless Camps Deemed Unsafe

Gov. Gavin Newsom just issued an executive order directing state officials to move quickly to start clearing encampments, and is directing certain state agencies to provide guidance for cities and counties to do the same.

Mr. Newsom’s executive order directs officials to immediately start clearing homeless encampments from state property, especially those encampments that pose imminent threats to “life, health, safety, or infrastructure.” For encampments that do not pose a danger to the public, officials are required to post a notice to vacate at least 48 hours before sweeps begin.

His order follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision. The circuit court’s decision blocked local governments from clearing homeless encampments and enforcing their laws, ruling that it was  “cruel and unusual punishment” if sufficient shelter space were not available.

The governor says outreach services will be provided for anyone living at these homeless camps, and local authorities will collect, label, and store personal items for those folks for at least 60 days. It remains to be seen which cities and counties in California will follow the governor’s orders.

By the way, the California Interagency Council on Homelessness is overseeing the entire operation.

You should know that since Mr. Newsom took office, California has spent more than $24 billion addressing homelessness—including nearly $5 billion in Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention grants; $1 billion in encampment resolution funding; and more than $3 billion to house individuals in hotels and other locations.

Moving along, a very important piece of business news. A furniture store chain that’s been around since the 1800s is shutting down its entire operation.

A 134-Year-Old American Furniture Chain Closing Down All 553 Stores

Furniture retailer Conn’s has filed for bankruptcy after experiencing a slowdown in recent years that has negatively affected the firm’s sales and liquidity, and as a result, it’s closing all 553 of its stores.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy was filed earlier this week in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The bankruptcy filings were made after the company’s growth faced “significant headwinds” in recent years, according to CEO Norman J. Miller. These challenges included “drastic shifts” in consumer behavior, interest rate pressures, inflation, integration delays, and increased costs.

You should also know that Conn’s key debtors reduced the debt limit available to the firm, forcing the company to take out loans at higher costs. It also looked for other options to improve its financial situation, but in the end, the company could not find an appropriate fix.

Currently, the furniture retailer has already listed 71 stores that it intends to close down soon, and the store closures affect outlets in 13 states. Florida is set to see the highest number of closures at 18. The firm has outlets in 15 states in total and employs around 4,000 individuals.

You should know that Conn’s is not alone. It’s just the latest big brand to file for bankruptcy in 2024. Some of the largest bankruptcies so far this year that involve companies with more than $1 billion in liabilities include IT firm Dynata, seafood chain Red Lobster, biotech company Invitae Corp., and Enviva, the world’s largest industrial biomass producer.

A side note: A total of more than 3,000 commercial Chapter 11 bankruptcies were filed in the January–June period this year, which is an increase of 34 percent from last year.

Just enough time for one more story, and this one takes us into international waters where the U.S. military says it has intercepted enemy aircraft this week.

Russian and Chinese Military Planes Intercepted in Alaska Air Defense Zone

American and Canadian fighter jets intercepted Russian and Chinese long-range bombers operating over international waters near Alaska on Wednesday.

Two Chinese H-6 and two Russian TU-95 strategic bombers were detected, tracked, and intercepted. It happened while they were operating in what’s called the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, which the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) identifies as a buffer zone in international airspace. NORAD says the Chinese and Russian military activity was not threatening, adding that the foreign aircraft did not enter U.S. or Canadian sovereign airspace.

By the way, Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the encounter in a statement, describing it as a joint air patrol over the Chukchi Sea, Bering Sea waters, and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. It also said that during the patrol, the aircraft of both countries obeyed the provisions of international law and that all the planes returned to their base airfields. Officials went on to say that the patrol was not directed against any third countries and was part of the implementation of a joint China–Russia “military cooperation plan.”

Interesting to note that while China and Russia have been conducting joint military training exercises for decades, their cooperation in this regard has intensified in recent years.

One more thing. Alexander Korolev, an expert on Russian–Chinese military cooperation at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, said the Russian–Chinese joint patrol was “notable for being the first intercept of Chinese military aircraft near Alaska.”

Time is just flying by, and now, looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Friday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.

If you have even a drop of free time today, it would sure mean a great deal to us if you could tell some folks you know about our program, and that’s because we’re always trying to grow the News Brief family—and in our family, there’s always room for one more.

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Sheryl sent over a lovely note as well as a virtual hug.

Clem also sent over a virtual hug from South Jersey.

We heard from Mary Lynn.

Sailing Smooth checked in to say, “Fantastic news brief!”

And Susan Wallin was kind enough to send over a much-appreciated note as well.

*(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.

It was Will Rogers who said, “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.”

Will Rogers Was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and social commentator, and he always had something interesting to say.

And one last note because someone sent over an email to remind me of this: Today is National Coffee Milkshake Day—a perfect treat for a hot summer day.

For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.

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 Friday, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for the Saturday edition (the weekend edition) of The Epoch Times News Brief. Think positive thoughts today, let’s all continue to watch out for one another, and as always, have a superb day. Bye for now.