Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, and we have some really fascinating stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
The same federal judge who dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump will oversee the prosecution of the man suspected of trying to kill him, a different federal judge is partially blocking an Alabama voter law, and a Los Angeles City bus is hijacked with tragic results.
Also, the House Intelligence Committee is sounding the alarm on a shopping app with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, and the president of Argentina says the United Nations is hypocritical when it comes to the issue of human rights.
Judge Cannon Assigned to Oversee Trump Attempted Assassination Case
Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump, has become a lightning rod for media criticism due to the Mar-a-Lago documents case against Trump, which she dismissed.You should know that while some praised her decision to dismiss the classified documents case, brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ), others criticized it. Cannon says she dismissed it because special counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutionally appointed.
On a side note, that argument is expected to come up in Trump’s federal election interference case in Washington, as well as an appeal by Smith in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
By the way, Cannon was randomly assigned to oversee the DOJ’s prosecution of Ryan Routh, the man accused of planning the attempted assassination of Trump in Florida. Both Mar-a-Lago and Trump’s Palm Beach golf club where Routh was identified are in the same jurisdiction in the Southern District of Florida where she sits on the bench.
So you know, Routh, who’s 58 years old, has been charged with attempted assassination and firearms charges, along with other counts including assaulting a Secret Service agent.
The DOJ says he faces a potential life sentence if convicted as charged.
For his part, Trump says he’s not sure that the DOJ should be the ones prosecuting Routh, suggesting there may be a conflict of interest since the DOJ has charged Trump in other cases. He said if the DOJ and FBI cannot do their job honestly and without bias, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the State of Florida should take the lead on the investigation and prosecution, which they’ve said they’re willing to do.
Interesting to note, when Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked about Trump’s concerns, he didn’t directly respond, but he said the DOJ was working toward accountability.
Federal Judge Partially Blocks Alabama Voting Law
Alabama’s Senate Bill 1 prohibits voters from paying or providing gifts to people to distribute, order, request, collect, prefill, complete, obtain, or deliver applications for mail-in ballots, which are also known as absentee ballots.The law, enacted earlier this year, also prohibits people, even if they’re not receiving payment or gifts, from submitting completed absentee ballot applications for other people.
U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor ruled that prohibiting assistance to some mail-in voters violates Section 208 of the federal Voting Rights Act. He says if Alabama’s SB1 takes effect as is, it will prevent those who are disabled, blind, and illiterate and can’t secure an absentee ballot on their own from getting help to vote and submit their ballot.
So, Proctor entered a preliminary injunction prohibiting Alabama officials from enforcing those provisions against blind, disabled, and illiterate voters.
By the way, people who violate Senate Bill 1 face up to 20 years in prison.
You should know that plaintiffs in this case included the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Los Angeles City Bus Hijacked, Passenger Killed
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) says one person was shot and killed on a Metro bus, which was hijacked early yesterday morning.The pursuit started when police officers responded to a flashing “Call 911” digital readout on the bus just before 1:00 am in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood of South Los Angeles.
You should know that several passengers were able to exit the bus after the suspect allegedly pulled out a gun. However, two others remained on board when the bus driver drove away. The LAPD says he did so since the suspect was allegedly pointing a gun at his head.
Officers pursued the bus across town for an hour before using spike strips to eventually stop it at East Sixth Street and South Alameda Street.
However, once the bus stopped, there was a stand-off, so officers surrounded it and shot bean bags and stun grenades at the suspect as they tried to rescue the remaining two hostages.
So you know, police say at some point, the suspect allegedly shot a passenger on board. He was pronounced dead at the hospital and the other passenger who hid in the back of the bus during the hijacking was rescued by police and a suspect was taken into custody.
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs bus and train service in most of Los Angeles County, says it is providing the bus driver with the support he needs.
They went on to say they’re grateful to the LAPD for their swift action, saying an active investigation is underway.
House Intelligence Committee Sounds Alarm on Chinese Shopping App Temu
Yesterday, House Republicans, in a letter, requested a briefing by the FBI and U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) over Temu.Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee say they’re concerned about the “growing national security and personal data concerns surrounding” Temu and its parent company, Pinduoduo.
Those Republicans, led by Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), say they’re flagging Temu and Pinduoduo for “possible trade, slave labor, and national security concerns.”
You should know that their letter cited a New York Post report showing that senior executives at the company and Pinduoduo have connections to the CCP.
That report specified that the firm’s top leaders include a former senior official in the CCP’s State Administration for Market Regulation as well as a former official with the Regulation Department of the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation, among others.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, who’s suing the company for violating state law, also told Fox Business in July that Temu includes former Chinese communist officials in its ranks.
Other issues brought up by lawmakers include how the Pinduoduo app was suspended by Google last year due to malware concerns, while Temu remains one of the most widely downloaded apps on the Android platform.
One more thing. A report from the company Grizzly Research months ago said that it believes Temu has already, or intends to, illegally sell stolen data from U.S. customers to sustain a business model that would otherwise fail.
Argentinian President Accuses UN of Hypocritical Human Rights Practice
In his first UN speech in New York City, Argentinian President Javier Milei accused the international organization of being a hypocrite and enabling authoritarian regimes.Milei specifically criticized the Human Rights Council for granting membership to countries such as Cuba and Venezuela, both of which he said have poor human rights records.
In case you don’t know, both countries have served multiple terms on the council despite repeated international criticism of their domestic human rights practices. Cuba, which is a one-party socialist state led by the Communist Party of Cuba, is currently a member of the council alongside Burundi and China, both of which have also faced international condemnation over their human rights records.
Milei also accused the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women of hypocrisy. The committee’s job is to monitor progress on women’s rights globally.
He said countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Afghanistan have been a part of international conversations with the committee, despite having policies that limit women’s freedoms or punish them for violating strict dress codes.
You may not know this, but the UN states that its foundation is built on the premise that all human beings—regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status—are entitled to human rights.
Interesting to note, Milei says his own country has decided to embrace the ideas of freedom and that the UN has abandoned its founding purpose. He went on to say that his country will not support any policy that implies the restriction of individual freedoms of commerce, nor the violation of the natural rights of individuals.
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 Jacques Cousteau, who said: “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
Jacques Cousteau was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker, author, and so much more.
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 Sharon Reardon.
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 Thursday, and we’ll see you right back here next time 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.
