Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, June 27, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, there’s a lot going on in the world, and here are the big headlines.
The U.S. surgeon general has an urgent warning regarding a nationwide public health crisis, the CDC has startling news about a virus, and it’s not COVID, and the Supreme Court unintentionally publishes an opinion. Also, a decision from the high court favors the Biden administration, and a theft at an Arizona election center has many people concerned.
Surgeon General Declares Firearm Violence an Urgent Public Health Crisis
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy just issued his first advisory on gun violence, calling it an urgent threat to the nation’s well-being. He’s calling for a public health approach that demands immediate and decisive action.So you know, a surgeon general’s advisory is a public statement that calls attention to urgent public health issues. It’s reserved for significant public health challenges that require immediate awareness and action.
According to the advisory, firearm-related injuries have become the leading cause of death for children and adolescents, surpassing motor vehicle crashes, cancer, and drug overdoses. In 2022 alone, more than 48,000 people died from firearm-related injuries here in the United States.
Key strategies for solving this critical issue outlined in the advisory include funding for community violence prevention programs, enhancing firearm risk reduction strategies, improving access to mental health care, and expanding research funding to inform and evaluate prevention efforts.
Opponents of the surgeon general’s action argue that the advisory could potentially infringe on Second Amendment rights if it’s not enforced properly. On the other hand, those in favor of Dr. Murthy’s advisory say it could have a positive impact on national policy and the public’s perception, as similar advisories have done in the past—for example, advisories regarding the dangers of smoking or motor vehicle safety.
CDC Issues Warning of Increased Dengue Virus Risk Across US
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just sent out a health alert warning doctors to be on the lookout for dengue fever cases. It wants doctors to be aware of the symptoms of the viral infection and to ask patients questions about where they recently traveled.Officials say the mosquito-borne virus has been on the rise worldwide recently. More than 2,200 cases have been reported this year across all 50 U.S. states with an additional 1,500 cases in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. By the way, Puerto Rico declared an emergency for dengue in March. Also, South American and Central American countries have reported higher-than-normal numbers of dengue.
About the virus, symptoms usually start between four and 10 days after being bitten by a dengue-infected mosquito and they include muscle, bone, or joint pain; vomiting; nausea; pain behind the eyes; swollen glands; and a rash. In some cases, the symptoms can even become life-threatening.
There is no widely available medicine for treating dengue infections, and vaccines have been problematic because there are four types of dengue that can infect people.
The CDC suggests using mosquito repellents if you’re traveling to areas with frequent dengue outbreaks, wearing loose-fitting and long-sleeved shirts and pants, and dumping or draining containers that contain standing water, which is where mosquitoes frequently breed.
Supreme Court ‘Inadvertently’ Releases Opinion
A spokesperson for the high court said its publications unit inadvertently uploaded the justices’ opinion pertaining to an Idaho law that bans most abortions.The law prohibits doctors from performing abortions, with exceptions in cases where doctors believe those procedures are necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman.
The state law also contains exceptions during the first trimester for women who were the victims of rape or incest and allows felony charges to be brought against doctors who violate the statute.
The high court’s unpublished opinion appears to side with the federal government, and says that state law must yield to federal law when it’s impossible to comply with both.
In the released opinion, the justices, by a vote of 6–3, ordered the injunction put back in place and essentially said they should have not granted Idaho’s emergency request to review the case.
Depending on the final opinion, the case may go to the Ninth Circuit, although it could be returned to the Supreme Court at a later stage.
So you know, the spokesperson for the high court says the final opinion will be published “in due course.”
Supreme Court Rules for Biden Admin in Social Media Free Speech Case
The high court has thrown out a challenge, led by two Republican states, that accused the federal government of conspiring with social media platforms pertaining to public health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.The case is Murthy v. Missouri.
The justices voted 6–3, finding that the group lacked legal standing to challenge the Biden administration because they could not show that they were directly harmed by the government’s efforts to communicate with the online platforms.
You should know that standing is a legal term that refers to the right of someone to sue in court. The parties must show a strong enough connection to the law or action they’re complaining about in order to justify their participation in the lawsuit.
The states argued that the federal government strong-armed social media companies into censoring views the White House disagreed with. In fact, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said his state cited more than 20,000 pages of documents to argue that federal officials pressured and colluded with social media companies to violate Americans’ right to free speech.
Interesting to note: the Supreme Court has been reluctant to endorse theories of standing.
Once the high court’s ruling came down, Mr. Bailey said his office filed a new lawsuit “to stop the biggest violation of the First Amendment in our nation’s history.”
Arizona Election Worker Arrested for Allegedly Stealing Security Device From Ballot Center
An election worker has been arrested for allegedly stealing a security device from a Maricopa County election center in Phoenix.Maricopa County Sheriff Russ Skinner says authorities currently don’t have any evidence suggesting that the incident was politically motivated, but they’re not ruling it out at this time.
Security footage showed an individual taking an item out of the center a week ago.
Court records show that Walter Ringfield was arrested for allegedly stealing digital security keys from the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.
Mr. Skinner says they’re reviewing the suspect’s social media feeds and phone records to determine whether or not he was working with someone else when he took the small black fob, which is a digital magnetic key that allows access to the ballot tabulators used in the county.
Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates says officials have reprogrammed the tabulators to make sure the digital security key cannot access them in the future.
So you know, over the years, Maricopa County has been the center of claims about voting irregularities, including during the 2020 presidential election.
This is a story that we will be keeping a very close watch on.
Looks like our time is just about up for today, so let’s call it a wrap for the Thursday 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 things up with a very “notable” quote, and this one is suitable as we prepare for tonight’s big presidential debate:
It was Joseph Joubert who said: “It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.”
Joseph Joubert was a French moralist and essayist.
For all of us here at the Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas, and thanks a million for spending even a small portion of your Thursday with us. Enjoy the rest of your day, be sure to watch tonight’s big debate, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for the Friday edition of the Epoch Times News Brief! Have a fulfilling day today, and bye for now.
