Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some pressing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
President-elect Donald Trump says he’ll declare a national emergency in an effort to maintain a crucial campaign promise he made, the incoming Senate majority leader threatens to impose sanctions on an international court, and an appeals court makes a critical decision regarding one of the federal cases against the president-elect.
Also, Russia responds to President Joe Biden’s updated policy concerning U.S. weapons and Ukraine, and a major air carrier has just filed for bankruptcy.
Trump Responds to Claims of Mass Deportation
Yesterday on Truth Social, Trump confirmed that he’ll declare a nationwide emergency to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants.The president-elect was responding to an earlier post that was also made on Truth Social by the head of a conservative legal group called Judicial Watch, who heard Trump was “prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets” regarding a mass deportation program.
In his response, Trump said the report was “true,” but he did not elaborate further regarding his plans.
While they were on the campaign trail, both the president-elect and his running mate JD Vance often pledged to carry out the deportation plan. They said that it’s a necessary step to reduce crime, combat the fentanyl overdose epidemic, and improve the U.S. economy.
One of Trump’s first cabinet selections was Tom Homan, a former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director whom the president-elect picked to become his “border czar” and to help initiate the plan.
Earlier this month, Homan told Fox News that he’ll prioritize “public safety threats and national security threats” in his efforts. He also said he’ll increase workplace inspections for illegal immigrants, and that eventually, Trump’s plans will “save taxpayers money.”
However, some immigration advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, disagree, and they’ve pledged to fight Trump’s deportation plans in the courts. Additionally, one group called the American Immigration Council predicted that the plan would cost over $300 billion.
By some estimates, about 11 million illegal immigrants currently reside in the United States, including some who are living in the country under temporary protected status orders issued by the Department of Homeland Security.
Senate Leader-Elect Warns International Criminal Court
Thune is urging the U.S. Senate to impose sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it continues to pursue arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the Israel–Hamas war in Gaza.Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that was aimed at imposing sanctions on people involved in the ICC’s efforts “to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute a protected person.” Anyone subject to those sanctions would be ineligible to either enter or remain in the United States.
Thune says the upcoming Senate Republican majority will make passing that bill “a top priority in the next Congress,” unless action is taken soon by the outgoing Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
On the social media platform X, Thune said that the Senate should pass the legislation immediately if the ICC and its prosecutor do not “reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials.”
So you know, six months ago, the ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with his former defense minister over alleged war crimes committed in Gaza following an attack by Hamas in October 2023.
In response, a bipartisan group of senators released a statement saying that the ICC’s actions jeopardized peace efforts in the Middle East, potentially compromised hostage negotiations, and impacted humanitarian aid.
However, some other senators called the court’s allegations significant, and said the arrest warrants were necessary to uphold international law.
By the way, the Biden administration voiced concerns about the arrest warrant applications for Israeli officials, but also said that it “strongly opposes” imposing sanctions against the ICC as a response.
Court Rules on 2nd Pause Request From Jack Smith
A federal appeals court has granted special counsel Jack Smith’s request to pause his appeal until Dec. 2.To refresh your memory, Smith made the request last week following Trump’s win in the election. He asked for more time to “assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.”
So you know, the case involves allegations that Trump mishandled sensitive documents, and earlier this year, a district court judge dismissed it, finding that Smith’s appointment by the U.S. attorney general violated the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) appealed that decision and argued that the judge’s ruling was at odds with a number of previous conclusions, including those made by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Shortly before the election, Trump’s legal team argued that the previous ruling was correct, and the DOJ lawyers were facing a Nov. 15 deadline to reply to the Trump brief before they asked for, and received, the pause in the appeal.
According to the government, the lawyers for Trump, along with his co-defendants in the case, did not object to the motion.
By the way, Smith has already received a pause in the other federal case he was pursuing against Trump, and recently, a spokesperson for the DOJ told The Epoch Times that the department has a longstanding policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.
Kremlin Responds to Biden’s Missile Approval
The Kremlin has accused President Joe Biden of “adding fuel to the fire” after it was reported that the president has authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles provided by the Pentagon to strike targets in the Russian region of Kursk.Yesterday, the BBC reported that a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Biden administration was “continuing to stoke tension around this conflict” with the decision.
The spokesman told the Tass news agency that if it’s true, the president’s decision marks a “new round” of escalating tensions, and a significant “new situation in terms of the involvement of the United States in this conflict.”
Putin’s representative described the idea of missile strikes inside Russia as “dangerous and provocative.”
By the way, the UK and France have also supplied missiles to Ukraine that could be used to hit targets in Russia. However, up till now, the French president and the UK prime minister have not given permission for Ukraine to use them in that manner.
To refresh your memory, Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and recently, it deployed thousands of North Korean troops to the frontline to fight alongside Russian forces. Meanwhile, earlier this year, Ukrainian soldiers launched a significant cross-border operation into Russia’s Kursk region, and they still hold strategic positions in the territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pressuring both the United States and NATO to allow his forces to use the tactical missile systems that they have been supplied with to hit targets deep inside Russia. He argues that Moscow has already escalated the conflict with the North Korean deployment.
Major Airliner Goes Bankrupt
Yesterday, Spirit Airlines announced that it just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, following prolonged losses, a number of failed merger attempts, and significantly rising debt.Despite strong demand for travel, the airline has faced rising operating costs that have strained its budget-friendly model, and this year, the company’s shares have plummeted by more than 90 percent.
In its filing, Spirit reported estimated assets and liabilities that each are between $1 billion and $10 billion. The company says that it has secured a $350 million equity investment, along with another $300 million in financing, with the aim of reducing debt and enhancing the airline’s financial flexibility during the restructuring process.
The company says that guests can continue to book their reservations and fly without interruption, and they can still use all “tickets, credits, and loyalty points as normal.”
Spirit’s CEO and president said he was pleased to have reached an agreement regarding a “comprehensive recapitalization” of the company, and he added that it was a “strong vote of confidence” in the company’s long-term plan.
By the way, the company began 60 years ago as a long-haul trucking business. In 1983, it transitioned to an aviation company that offered leisure packages, and it rebranded as Spirit Airlines in 1992.
By introducing ultra-low base fares in the United States, Spirit appealed to budget travelers who prioritized low costs over amenities such as checked bags and seat assignments.
However, recently Spirit Airlines has faced a number of significant challenges, including increased competition from major air carriers offering low-price tickets, rising labor costs, and engine issues that have grounded numerous aircraft.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Tuesday 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 Rodney Walker, who said: “Don’t always wait for someone else to inspire you. Inspire yourself.”
Walker was an author, entrepreneur, and inspirational speaker.
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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For now, let’s all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
