Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some very intriguing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning taxpayers about a new charity scam, a federal judge in San Francisco agrees to hear a case regarding the condition of the city, and the world’s richest man has made an enormous donation to a political cause that he’s very passionate about.
Also, a massive recall of food products due to deadly bacteria is expanding, and federal health officials say there’s a new COVID strain that’s spreading here in the United States.
IRS Issues Warning on New Scam
The IRS says that fraudsters have been taking advantage of the generosity of individuals looking to help disaster victims who were affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton by soliciting donations through fake charitable organizations.The agency says that these charity scams are also designed to steal personal and financial data from unsuspecting Americans, and they open the door to other types of fraud, including identity theft.
Earlier this week, the IRS warned potential donors to be wary of high-pressure solicitations, and the agency said that it’s important to verify whether or not an organization is authentic before making a contribution.
The IRS also pointed out that people can use an online feature on its website, IRS.gov, called the Tax Exempt Organization Search tool to make sure that a charity is qualified to receive tax-deductible donations.
The agency advised taxpayers to avoid giving out any sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers and credit card numbers, and also to steer clear of charities that request payment through gift cards or by wiring money.
In case you didn’t already know, every year, the IRS spotlights a number of severe tax scams, and in 2024, the agency included fake charities and phishing attacks on its annual list.
Judge Green-Lights Suit Against San Francisco
A federal judge has just ruled that residents and businesses in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood can proceed with most of their lawsuit against the City by the Bay.So you know, the lawsuit was filed earlier this year, and it contends that for years, the city has allowed open-air drug dealing and narcotics use in what’s called the Tenderloin.
The plaintiffs include five anonymous residents and two local hotels, and they argue that the city’s actions have led to rampant crime, blocked sidewalks, and deteriorating living conditions that have drastically impacted their lives and businesses.
The plaintiffs say that the city’s unofficial policy effectively herds drug addicts and dealers into the Tenderloin district by not enforcing laws there while upholding them in the region’s other more affluent neighborhoods.
The City of San Francisco had filed a motion to dismiss the case, but earlier this week, a federal judge for the Northern District of California denied that request.
The judge did dismiss one claim made by the plaintiffs, which argued that some of their federal rights had been violated by a “state-created danger.”
The court allowed a significant number of their other claims to move forward, including charges of public and private nuisance and violations of California’s Disabled Persons Act due to blocked entrances and sidewalks.
In its motion to dismiss, the city said that both it and the county spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year addressing the issues of homelessness, substance abuse, and crime. The city also argued that it’s immune from liability, and that the plaintiffs had no standing to bring the case.
The judge disagreed and ruled that the plaintiffs had sufficiently alleged that the city’s affirmative actions regarding the Tenderloin could have possibly contributed to their harm.
Elon Musk Makes Massive Donation
According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Musk has donated nearly $75 million to America PAC in an effort to help Trump as he competes against Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election.In case you’re not aware, Musk heads both the electric vehicle company Tesla and spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX, and he’s the world’s wealthiest person, with a net worth of nearly $250 billion.
Musk launched America PAC earlier this year. At the time, he said the committee was formed to support candidates who believe in the core values of America, including secure borders, sensible spending, safe cities, a fair justice system, self-protection, and free speech.
A group that tracks money in politics called OpenSecrets reports that since then, America PAC has spent over $100 million, making it the seventh-largest outside spender during the 2024 election cycle.
By the way, the pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. has spent over $250 million during this election cycle, and the pro-Harris super PAC, Fast Forward USA, has spent over $260 million.
You should know that Musk first endorsed Trump a few months ago, just after he was wounded during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, and that earlier this month, the billionaire appeared alongside Trump at a campaign rally at that same location.
Major Recall Expands Across US
Millions of pounds of meat products made by Oregon-based BrucePac have already been recalled due to possible listeria contamination, and the order is impacting hundreds of different ready-to-eat products sold across the United States.The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) just added nearly 2 million more pounds of meat products to the recall, increasing the total weight to just under 12 million pounds.
Just last week, BrucePac recalled nearly 10 million pounds of its ready-to-eat meat and poultry products after the Food Safety and Inspection Service found listeria monocytogenes bacteria on some of the company’s items.
The affected products include ready-to-eat wraps and salads, meal kits, tacos, and sandwiches, and these items have already been shipped to distributors, restaurants, and other food service providers throughout the country.
So you know, some of the stores affected by the recall include Walmart, Target, Trader Joe’s, 7-Eleven, Kroger, and Aldi. Additionally, brand names of items that have been pulled from the shelves include Fresh Express, Boston Market, Jenny Craig, El Monterey, and Amazon Fresh.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service says that consumers can find specific information on its website regarding all of the products and brand names that have been impacted by the recall. The organization also advises customers who have purchased these products to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), listeria is a bacteria that contaminates many foods, and it can cause a serious intestinal illness that’s particularly dangerous for older adults, pregnant women, and people with weak immune systems.
New COVID-19 Variant Reported in US
The CDC says that a new variant called XEC now accounts for around 10 percent of all of the COVID cases reported inside the United States, making it the second-most-common strain of the disease.By the way, the most common strain in the country is called the K.P.3.1.1 variant, and both it and the new type of COVID are derived from the Omicron strain, which first emerged a few years ago.
An official with the CDC told The Epoch Times that the XEC variant is closely related to the Omicron strain, and the official described it as a hybrid that occurs sometimes when a person has been infected with two different COVID-19 strains.
A public health official in the UK recently said that around 10 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the United Kingdom also come from the XEC lineage. That official says right now, current information points out that people should not be overly concerned about this new variant.
Just last month, a CDC spokeswoman told The Epoch Times that the health agency is monitoring the XEC variant, but that so far, the CDC is not aware of any specific symptoms associated with the new COVID strain.
The CDC spokesperson also recommended that people aged 6 months and older get one of the updated COVID-19 vaccines, which are expected to work against all circulating variants.
By the way, the XEC variant first appeared a few months ago in Berlin, Germany, and it later spread across other parts of Europe.
It’s worth mentioning that despite the emergence of this new COVID strain, data provided earlier this month by the CDC shows that COVID-19 is broadly trending downward nationwide, and that they are currently at “low” levels.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Thursday 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 Edward Stanley, who said: “Those who have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find the time for illness.’’
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 day, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow 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.
