News Brief: Putin Ready for Compromises Over Ukraine in Talks With Trump; Chinese Agent Pleads Guilty to Operating Secret Police Station in NY; Luigi Mangione Hit With Federal Charges, Now Eligible for Death Penalty

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends his annual end-of-year press conference and phone-in, in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 19, 2024. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some consequential stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin makes some powerful statements regarding his country’s ongoing war with Ukraine, a foreign agent owns up to running an underground police station in a major American city, and the person charged with murdering a prominent health care executive could now face the death penalty.

Also, a Georgia appeals court reaches an impactful decision regarding the Trump election case, and one of our country’s biggest unions is striking right now against the world’s largest online retailer—just before the big Christmas holiday.

We have a great deal of ground to cover today, and we begin here. As Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, President Vladimir Putin says he'd be willing to meet with President-elect Donald Trump to discuss a possible end to the battle, while at the same time issuing a challenge to the West. More now on what we know.

Putin Ready for Compromises Over Ukraine in Talks With Trump

Putin says Russian forces have the upper hand in the ongoing war, but that he’s now ready to make “compromises” in possible talks with the incoming U.S. president. However, he said that the “other side” also needs to be ready to come to the table, and that Russia is in a strong position when it comes to negotiations.

Also, in the past, he has said that he will not make any territorial concessions and that Ukraine must abandon any plans to join NATO before the peace talks can move forward.

Putin says Russian forces are advancing across the entire front, that they’re moving closer to achieving their goals, and that soon, there will be no one left in Ukraine who wants to fight.

The Russian leader made his comments yesterday, during his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow. He said that Russia has become much stronger over the past few years, that his country’s economy remains steady, and that their military capability is now the strongest in the entire world.

Additionally, Putin mocked claims that Russia’s new Oreshnik hypersonic missile could be intercepted by NATO’s air defenses, and he challenged the West to a “high-tech duel” to see if they would be able to protect a pre-selected target from that innovative weapon.

It’s also worth pointing out that in recent months, Russia has made a number of significant land gains in eastern Ukraine and is now close to capturing another major transportation hub.

However, earlier this week, it suffered a significant setback when the head of the country’s nuclear, biological, and chemical defense forces was killed by a scooter bomb in Moscow.

We’ll make the move now to New York City, which already has 78 police precincts—79 if you count this one: a secret police station operated by a U.S. citizen who was working on behalf of the China regime. More now on the suspect, his court plea, and the penalties he’s facing.

Chinese Agent Pleads Guilty to Operating Secret Police Station in NY

Chen Jinping, a 60-year-old U.S. citizen, has just pleaded guilty in federal court to acting as an illegal Chinese agent by operating an underground police station for Beijing, and he’s now facing up to five years in prison.

In case you didn’t know, the station was located in Manhattan’s Chinatown district and ran under the cover of a mingling place for immigrants from southeast China.

Chen was the secretary general of that meeting place when he was arrested by the FBI last year. The former president of that meeting place has also been charged, and he has pleaded not guilty and is currently awaiting trial.

Federal prosecutors involved in the case say that the station’s president has a longstanding relationship with Chinese authorities. He’s also been rewarded by Chinese officials for leading counter-protests against practitioners of Falun Gong, who were demonstrating publicly against the ongoing persecution of the spiritual practice by the Chinese regime.

The federal complaint says that since it was first set up a couple of years ago, the secret police station has helped an official from China’s police agency, the Ministry of Public Security, to locate a pro-democracy individual whom they were interested in tracking down here in the United States.

The prosecutors also say that the station’s officers have been receiving requests to find the Chinese regime’s targeted dissidents since 2018, that Chen’s part in operating the outpost was “brazen,” and that they’ll pursue anyone who attempts to aid China’s efforts to extend its repressive reach into the United States.

Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry responded to Chen’s guilty plea, saying that “the so-called secret police stations do not exist.”

We’ll stay in New York, and new information to share with you today regarding a high-profile murder suspect, the state and federal charges he’s looking at, and the severe penalties he’s facing. More now on a story the entire nation is watching very closely.

Luigi Mangione Hit With Federal Charges, Now Eligible for Death Penalty

Yesterday, a Pennsylvania judge ordered Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, to stand trial in New York, where he faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder.

So you know, the judge issued his ruling after Mangione’s attorney, Thomas Dickey, said the defense had agreed to a waiver of extradition.

Dickey said that the defense is ready to move forward with the case, and that they agreed to the move because they feel that it’s in Mangione’s best interest at this time.

Mangione appeared at the hearing in an orange jumpsuit, alongside a large number of law enforcement officials. Following that appearance, he was later flown by helicopter to lower Manhattan, where he was taken to a courthouse.

Meanwhile, outside the Pennsylvania courtroom, a number of people carried signs in support of the suspect, including one that read “Free Luigi” and another that declared that “Privatized Healthcare Is a Crime Against Humanity!”

In case you’re not aware, earlier this week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg released an indictment that listed 11 charges against Mangione, including one count of first-degree murder as an act of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, and a number of counts dealing with criminal possession of a weapon.

If convicted on those charges, Mangione faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole.

However, yesterday, the federal government unsealed a new complaint against Mangione, and he’ll now face additional federal murder and stalking charges, which make him eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors have not said whether or not they will pursue that punishment.

Now, the federal complaint noted that several items were found in Mangione’s possession when he was first arrested, including a letter addressed “To the Feds” and a notebook containing a handwritten passage describing his intent to “wack” an insurance company CEO.

Another story to brief you on today concerns President-elect Donald Trump’s election case in Georgia. The case continues, but the prosecutor has been removed, and here’s more now on a legal proceeding with a number of twists and turns.

Georgia Appeals Court Disqualifies Fani Willis From Trump Election Case

A Georgia appeals court has just disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from her election-related criminal case against Trump, although the indictment still stands.

To refresh your memory, Trump and his co-defendants were charged last year by the Fulton County DA’s office for what it alleged was a scheme to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, and they all pleaded not guilty.

However, earlier this year, the case hit a snag after it was revealed that Willis had engaged in a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor who was assigned to the case at the time. A Fulton County judge later ruled that Willis could remain on the case if that prosecutor resigned, which he later did.

Trump and a number of co-defendants appealed that judge’s decision, and yesterday, the Georgia Court of Appeals concluded that the trial court had made a mistake by failing to disqualify Willis and her office.

In its decision, the appeals court pointed to what they called “an ongoing appearance of impropriety,” which they said existed at times when Willis was deciding who to prosecute and what charges to bring.

You should know that throughout the court battles, Willis has defended her own conduct, and earlier this year, she said she believes the appeals court proceedings were only an attempt to slow down the case.

This new ruling now means that a council will have to choose a new prosecutor to take over the case, and to decide whether or not to continue to pursue it. However, that could be delayed if Willis decides to appeal this latest decision to a higher court.

Regardless, it now appears unlikely that the prosecution against Trump will continue as he prepares to be president for the next four years, though 14 other defendants still face charges.

Finally today, a massive union goes up against a global online retailer. The picket lines are populated, Christmas is getting complicated, and here’s what we know.

Teamsters Strike Against Amazon at Multiple Sites Ahead of the Holidays

Yesterday, the Teamsters labor union launched what it called the largest strike ever against Amazon after ongoing negotiations for new employee contracts came screeching to a halt.

The union’s “nationwide action” began yesterday at 6 a.m. Eastern Time, following what it said was Amazon’s repeated refusal to come to the bargaining table by a Dec. 15 deadline. Almost 10,000 Amazon workers have joined the union, looking for better benefits, higher wages, and a safer working environment.

Amazon workers from hubs in Atlanta; New York City; San Francisco; Southern California; and Skokie, Illinois, spent time yesterday walking the picket lines.

Additionally, the union says that workers from other facilities are prepared to join in the strikes as well.

The Teamsters say that Amazon “fails to pay its workers enough to make ends meet” and that customers can blame “Amazon’s insatiable greed” if any of their packages are delayed during the holidays.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Amazon previously told The Epoch Times that the union has “intentionally misled the public” by saying the Teamsters represent thousands of the company’s employees when they really don’t.

She said the Teamsters have actively and illegally threatened, intimidated, and attempted to coerce both Amazon employees and outside drivers to join them. She also said these activities have resulted in a number of pending unfair labor practice charges against the union.

It’s a story of prime concern to a great number of people all across the country, especially with Christmas coming up in just a few days.

Before we go, a few other important stories we’re keeping a close watch on today in the News Brief newsroom, and here’s what’s happening.

Washington: Government funding is set to run out at midnight tonight, and Congress is scrambling to avert a shutdown.

Wisconsin: Authorities say the teenage girl who carried out this week’s deadly shooting at a private Christian school in Madison had been exchanging messages with a 20-year-old man in Carlsbad, California, who told the FBI that he was plotting an attack on a government building.

And the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has just issued a temporary ban on drone operations in a number of areas across New Jersey, amid heightened concerns regarding a large number of recent sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles.

And now, it 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.

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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 Kelly Clarkson, who said: “The thing about Christmas is that it almost doesn’t matter what mood you’re in or what kind of a year you’ve had—it’s a fresh start.”

Clarkson is a singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of American Idol and she is a phenomenal vocalist.

By the way, the countdown to Christmas continues, we’re just five days away from the big holiday.

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

The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day 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 the Saturday edition (the weekend edition) of The Epoch Times News Brief.

For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.