Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some important stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening.
Senate hearings begin for President-elect Donald Trump’s top choice to lead our country’s defense, the just-released special counsel’s report makes a substantial claim regarding our incoming commander-in-chief, and firefighters battling the raging blazes in Southern California face the return of severe weather conditions.
Also, federal agencies issue an urgent warning in the wake of the New Year’s Day terror attack in New Orleans, and President Joe Biden signs a consequential executive order concerning AI technology, federal lands, and national security.
Senators Grill Hegseth
The Senate Armed Services Committee began the hearings by grilling Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice for defense secretary.In a prepared statement, Hegseth pointed out that if he’s confirmed, his focus will be on improving the U.S. military’s emphasis on warfighting.
However, a number of Democrats voiced significant concerns about his qualifications. They pointed to both his lack of experience running a large-scale organization, as well as allegations of previous misconduct including being drunk on the job along with marital infidelity.
Hegseth denied the allegations, calling them “a coordinated smear campaign orchestrated in the media.”
When questioned about his ability to lead the Department of Defense without bias, Hegseth noted that he volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan under a Democratic leader, former President Barack Obama. He was also grilled by a number of senators about his view on women serving in combat roles with the military.
In his defense, one Republican senator from Oklahoma criticized his Democratic colleagues for holding Hegseth to higher standards than they hold themselves to. He noted that there are few prerequisites for the role of defense secretary, other than that the person must be at least seven years removed from active-duty military service.
Meanwhile, Hegseth said that if he’s confirmed, the Pentagon would reinstate and give backpay to service members who were “forced out” of the military because they did not follow the Defense Department’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. He also promised to prioritize audits of the Pentagon, calling it “an issue of national security.”
Just a reminder, nominees are approved by a majority vote in the Senate, where right now, Republicans hold a 53–47 majority, and more hearings for other nominees are expected to continue throughout the week.
DOJ Releases Special Counsel’s Report
In the report, Smith says he believes that the evidence against Trump was strong enough to get a conviction from a trial, after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped its prosecution of the president-elect.Smith alleges that a substantial amount of evidence demonstrates that Trump engaged in an “unprecedented criminal effort” to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election in order to hold on to power.
The report went on to allege that Trump sought to defraud the United States and obstruct the certification of electoral votes, in part by conspiring with others to send alternate slates of electors to Washington.
To refresh your memory, an indictment against Trump charged him with multiple federal crimes, including conspiring to obstruct the certification of the election. However, after the charges were brought, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that presidents are immune from prosecution for official conduct.
The report says the special counsel’s office concluded that it could fight back against that presumption of immunity. It went on to say that a newly assembled grand jury had already issued a superseding indictment with identical charges based on conduct that was not immune.
After Trump won the 2024 election, however, the DOJ dropped the charges against the president-elect, pointing out that the U.S. Constitution prohibits prosecution of a sitting president, and just last week, Smith resigned from his position.
In a recent letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Trump’s lawyers said that the DOJ’s actions represented a “complete exoneration” of their client. Meanwhile, yesterday on Truth Social, Trump said that “the voters have spoken.”
Assets Arrive to Battle Raging Southern California Fires
So far, the raging infernos have already killed at least 24 people, destroyed more than 12,000 structures, and charred an area of more than 62 square miles—which is roughly three times the size of the island of Manhattan.Meanwhile, extra firefighters from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico are pouring into the region, along with additional water tankers that are replenishing the area’s water supplies after fire hydrants ran dry last week during the lengthy and ongoing battle to rein in the blazes.
As of yesterday, around 5,200 personnel were battling the Palisades Fire, which has already burned more than 23,000 acres and was only 17 percent contained.
More than 3,000 additional firefighters are attacking the Eaton Fire in Altadena, which is near Pasadena, and that wildfire has torched more than 14,000 acres and is 35 percent contained.
Unfortunately, the Santa Ana high-wind conditions are forecast to continue until later this afternoon, and nearly 100,000 people still remain under evacuation orders.
He said that as of Monday, nearly 6,000 individuals had applied for the aid, and that more than $5 million had already been paid out. A number of L.A. area celebrities and companies with interests in the city’s entertainment industry have also pledged millions of dollars in support for those impacted by the fires.
FBI, DHS Warn of Copycat Terror Attacks
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have just issued a public alert, and they’re raising concerns about potential vehicle ramming attacks like the New Year’s Day incident that left 14 people dead and dozens injured.In a joint warning, the two agencies said they’re worried about possible copycat attacks due to what they call “the persistent appeal of vehicle ramming as a tactic for aspiring violent extremist attackers.”
As a reminder, the New Orleans attack was reportedly motivated by ISIS terrorist propaganda. The suspect plowed a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, crashed, jumped out, and engaged in a gunfight with police before they shot him dead.
The agencies say that similar attacks are particularly worrisome due to both their simplicity and the accessibility of vehicles that can be rented, stolen, or even personally owned. They also pointed out that suspects in these kinds of attacks have also used additional weapons—including firearms, knives, and improvised explosive devices—to attack people after their vehicle has stopped.
The FBI and DHS noted that these attacks typically target large gatherings and crowded venues, including festivals, shopping centers, and places of worship. They urged people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities.
Biden Issues Order for Building AI Data Centers on Federal Land
The president has just issued an executive order that will accelerate the construction of large-scale data centers and clean power infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI) on federal properties.Biden says that the order will direct the Defense Department (DOD) and the Energy Department (DOE) to lease federal sites to the private sector for the building of AI infrastructure.
The agencies will select locations that can provide high-capacity transmission infrastructure. They’ll also choose sites that have minimal adverse effects on communities, the natural environment, and commercial resources.
The White House said that the agencies will review proposals from companies seeking to build and operate the large-scale AI infrastructure before granting the leases. Additionally, the chosen developers will be required to procure clean energy to meet the needs of their data centers, and relevant security issues will be taken into consideration.
Biden says that he’s aiming to speed up the construction of advanced AI infrastructure in our country in a way that improves economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy.
He points out that cutting-edge AI will have profound implications for American lives, from helping cure diseases to keeping our communities safe. He also says when it comes to the technology that will define the future, we cannot take our lead for granted, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards.
Before we go, a few more headlines we’re watching very closely here in the News Brief newsroom:
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Wednesday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Don’t forget the News Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and we’re 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 the late Gilda Radner, who said: “Dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love.”
Radner was one of the seven original cast members of the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” on NBC’s Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until she left the show in 1980.
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.
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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, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
