Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some pressing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
America holds an emotional state funeral to honor a former commander-in-chief, deadly wildfires blaze a trail of devastating destruction throughout Southern California, and a New York appeals court makes a critical decision involving President-elect Donald Trump.
Also, a prior FBI informant is sentenced to prison for lying about President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, and for tax evasion; and federal lawmakers introduce a bill to make a permanent change to the way we tell time.
State Funeral Held for Carter
At a private service that was attended by family members and dignitaries, Carter was honored yesterday with an official state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral. His casket was brought to the cathedral from the U.S. Capitol, where he’d been lying in state for two days.During the service, former President Barack Obama sat next to President-elect Donald Trump. Former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were also in attendance.
President Joe Biden, who was the first senator to endorse Carter’s White House bid, delivered one of many eulogies, and he was tearful throughout the service.
Biden called Carter a driven man with character who was devoted to his Christian faith, the ideals of our nation, and his mission to serve and shape the world during more than half a century of public service. He went on to say that Carter lived “the definition of a good life” in his 100 years on earth.
Following the service, Carter and his family members made their final journey back to Plains, Georgia, where he was laid to rest at the Carter Home and Garden next to his beloved wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter, who passed away in 2023.
Deadly Wildfires Continue to Rage Across Los Angeles
As a result of the unprecedented fires, at least five people are dead, many more injured, and hundreds of thousands of Angelenos remain under evacuation orders. More than a thousand structures—including businesses, homes, churches, and schools—have all been destroyed, and the damage is already estimated to exceed $50 billion.Meanwhile, more than 7,500 local, state, and federal personnel have been deployed to fight the flames, but as of yesterday, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire in Altadena were still zero percent contained.
Additionally, both fires continue to spread, and L.A. City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley says that the Palisades Fire is already one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles.
So far, nearly 30,000 acres of land have already burned, a number of iconic landmarks have gone up in flames, and more than 400,000 people in the region were still without power as of yesterday afternoon.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration for California, freeing up some federal funds for the state’s recovery efforts, while Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency because of the deadly blazes.
Also, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that the Pentagon stands ready to help out in any way it can if called upon to do so.
Unfortunately, a number of people have been arrested for looting and other crimes amid the devastation, and the so-called severe fire weather—meaning high winds, dry vegetation, and low humidity—is forecast to continue.
Supreme Court Denies Trump’s Bid to Halt Sentencing
A divided Supreme Court has rejected the Trump legal team’s request to halt today’s sentencing proceedings. The vote was 5–4, with Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh all saying they would have granted the request, while the five other justices rejected his appeal.In a recent emergency filing, Trump’s attorneys said that both Justice Juan Merchan and the state’s mid-level appellate court had “erroneously failed” to stop the sentencing. They argued that the U.S. Constitution requires an automatic pause to the proceedings while they appeal the judge’s ruling to uphold the verdict.
They also said that the trial itself violated a recent ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that provides their client with broad immunity from prosecution for acts he took as president.
Trump’s lawyers went on to say that the court’s decision to set a sentencing date that is only days before his inauguration on Jan. 20 is also a violation of the president-elect’s constitutional rights.
However, last week, the judge in the case rejected claims that Trump’s recent election victory should put an end to the case, and he ruled that Trump’s sentencing could move forward as planned.
The judge also implied that he will not issue fines, probation, or jail time to Trump, who was found guilty last year of falsifying business records in connection to payments he made during the 2016 campaign. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, and he has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the matter.
Former FBI Informant Who Pleaded Guilty to Making Up Biden Story Sentenced
A former FBI informant who admitted to making up a story about President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, accepting bribes has just been sentenced to prison.A federal judge in Los Angeles handed down the sentence to Alexander Smirnov, who’s a dual citizen of both the United States and Israel. Last month, he pleaded guilty to creating a false and fictitious record, as well as failing to pay taxes on approximately $2 million in income.
Smirnov faced up to 35 years in prison, but following a plea agreement, prosecutors asked for and the judge handed down a six-year sentence.
According to court documents, Smirnov told the FBI that both Biden and his son received bribes from the executives of a Ukrainian energy company called Burisma Holdings, in exchange for taking care of a criminal probe into that company.
At the time of those alleged bribes, Burisma employed the president’s son, Hunter Biden; however, in their indictment, federal prosecutors pointed out that the defendant’s claims were complete “fabrications.”
They also said that the defendant had betrayed the United States and repaid the trust our country placed in him by attempting to interfere in a presidential election. Meanwhile, the attorneys for the defendant said that their client has learned a “very grave lesson,” and that he will not find himself on this side of the law again.
By the way, the FBI document that detailed the allegations he made against the Bidens was made public last year, helping to spur an impeachment effort against President Biden that ultimately did not succeed.
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent
A bipartisan group of senators has just reintroduced legislation to make daylight saving time permanent, year-round.So you know, the measure is known as the Sunshine Protection Act, and it was unanimously passed in the Senate in 2022 before eventually stalling in the House. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) of Florida, as well as 15 other senators, have re-introduced the bill, which they’re now calling “Lock The Clock.”
The proposed legislation would establish permanent daylight saving time—meaning clocks would no longer be turned back in the fall, resulting in later sunrises and sunsets throughout the winter.
Advocates describe it as a common-sense approach that will simplify the lives of households throughout the country while offering more opportunities for outdoor activities.
Some also cite President-elect Donald Trump’s backing to end the practice of twice-a-year clock changes; however, it remains unclear whether the incoming president prefers daylight saving time or standard time.
You should also know that there are a number of sleep medicine organizations who argue that changing to permanent standard time is a better option. They say it results in better rest, less stress, and fewer car accidents, and that it aligns more closely with the daily rhythms of the body’s natural clock.
And now it’s time for us to call it a wrap on today’s News Brief, but before we go, a few more headlines we’re following 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 Friday 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 Socrates who said: “He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.”
Socrates was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy.
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.
