Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some really critical stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
The man who tried to kill former President Donald Trump had encrypted accounts in several countries, the FDA has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines, and yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling could affect the upcoming presidential election. Also, the FBI says the country is facing multiple security threats, and a major celebrity says he’ll never host the Oscars again.
Trump Shooter Had Encrypted Accounts in Multiple Countries: Congressman
The man who tried to kill Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania had encrypted accounts in multiple countries, according to a member of the congressional “Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump.”Earlier this week, Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) told reporters in Chicago that while they haven’t learned much about those accounts, they do know they’re located in Belgium, Germany, and New Zealand.
Waltz says they want to know why Thomas Crooks, who was a health care aide, needed encrypted platforms based in countries where most terrorist organizations know it will be tougher for U.S. law enforcement to get into.
The congressman also says task force members want authorities to share information with them as it comes in, and not wait until final reports on the investigations are done, because threats against the former president are ongoing.
For example, Waltz highlighted the recent charges against a Pakistani national, who has been charged in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate public officials in the United States.
You should know that the FBI says it has been diligent in providing regular public updates on the investigation by releasing statements, holding press briefings, and providing testimony to Congress.
On a side note, Waltz says he’s disturbed that the officials who crafted the security plan for Trump’s July rally have not been disciplined.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. told Congress that the agency is waiting to finish its own investigation into the assassination attempt.
FDA Approves New COVID-19 Vaccines
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved new COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.The shots, based on the mRNA technology target the KP.2 strain.
Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, put out a statement saying that the updated vaccines meet the agency’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.
Critics, however, including Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, say Dr. Marks’s statement rings hollow and points out that no clinical trial data has been released for the vaccines.
Manufacturers, however, have said that testing in animals shows the shots trigger neutralizing antibodies.
You should know that side effects of the vaccines include heart inflammation and headaches.
So, as a result of this latest vaccine approval, children at least 6 months old and up to 4 years old, who have never been vaccinated, can now receive three doses of the Pfizer vaccine or two doses of the Moderna vaccine.
Those who have previously received a COVID-19 vaccine can receive one or two doses of either shot, and people aged 5 and up can receive a single dose of either vaccine, regardless of prior vaccination.
You should also know that a forthcoming vaccine from Novavax is expected to target the JN.1 COVID-19 strain.
Interesting to note: federal health officials say COVID-19 recently reached very high levels in 32 states and the District of Columbia, citing wastewater data.
Supreme Court Approves RNC Request, Partially Reinstates Arizona Voting Law
The U.S. Supreme Court has narrowly voted to approve a request from the Republican National Committee (RNC).In a 5–4 vote, justices agreed to reinstate a portion of Arizona law that requires officials to reject state registration forms from voters who did not provide proof of citizenship.
You should know that the restoration is in effect pending the outcome of the case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
You should also know that the high court’s ruling affects some 41,000 voters who used state registration forms and did not provide proof of citizenship by providing a birth certificate or another document.
Michael Whatley, chairman of the RNC, says the partial reinstatement was “a seismic win,” while Arizona Senate Republicans say that it affirms that voters who register with the state must provide proof of citizenship to cast a ballot in elections moving forward.
The RNC had also asked the justices to restore other Arizona provisions, including one that would require voters, when registering, to provide their state or country of birth. Another provision would have required counties to verify that voters on their rolls are citizens and purge the ones who are not. But a majority of justices declined to restore those provisions.
By the way, this new ruling came on the same day as the ballot printing deadline for some Arizona counties.
FBI Chief Warns of Unprecedented Rise in Security Threats
The director of the agency, Christopher Wray, says they’re deeply concerned about the simultaneous rise in terrorism, cybercrime, foreign election interference, and espionage activities by hostile powers.Earlier this week, he said he’s “hard-pressed to think of a time” in his career “where so many different kinds of threats” are all elevated at the same time, and specifically the threats facing law enforcement officials.
Wray declined to comment on any specific investigation or threat but pointed out that the FBI is concerned about Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft, foreign election interference, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled threats, and terrorism.
He said better cooperation between law enforcement agencies is a key part of confronting the unprecedented security landscape. He also said he hopes that the U.S. tech industry can play a role in helping protect Americans from AI-enabled threats coming their way.
Wray’s latest remarks build on his previous warnings, including that China-sponsored hackers are ready to hit U.S. infrastructure at any time with a “devastating blow” to induce panic and that the FBI is increasingly concerned about the potential for a coordinated terror attack on the U.S. homeland.
You should know that Wray’s warnings also reflect the findings of several key national security reports. They include a 2024 White House report on the Cybersecurity Posture of the United States, as well as the Director of National Intelligence’s 2024 annual threat assessment and its National Counterintelligence Strategy.
The counterintelligence strategy report warns that the Chinese communist regime and the state of Russia pose “the most significant intelligence threats.”
Not to end on a frightening note, but the intelligence community’s annual threat assessment also highlights the ongoing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear threats from North Korea.
Steve Martin Shares Why He Wouldn’t Host the Oscars Again
Despite hosting the Oscars on three separate occasions, the Hollywood veteran told the Los Angeles Times that they don’t pay their hosts. The 79-year-old entertainer also said the Academy should provide compensation considering the amount of work and stress involved with that one night, saying it takes months to prepare.In case you didn’t know, the Emmy Award-winning actor hosted the 73rd Academy Awards ceremony for the first time in March 2001, and his second hosting gig was the 75th Academy Awards in March 2003.
Martin’s third and last hosting duties were in 2010, which he co-hosted alongside actor Alec Baldwin. The occasion was notable, because it marked the first time multiple stars had hosted the Oscars since 1987, when Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, and Paul Hogan took on the hosting responsibilities together.
The comedic actor described being nervous hosting the first two telecasts, but says he overcame his nerves, and that he wasn’t nervous at all the third time since he wasn’t hosting the show by himself.
You should know that Martin began his decades-long career in the late 1960s, writing and performing for “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” His work earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music in 1969. Fast forward to 2014, Martin received an Academy Honorary Award for what officials called the extraordinary talents and unique inspiration he brought to the art of motion pictures.
Currently, Martin is set to appear in the fourth season of Hulu’s hit show “Only Murders in the Building,” which premieres next week.
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.
Thanks for checking out the program today, and next time you drop in for a listen, please bring along a friend or two—or three.
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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 Dale Carnegie, a bright guy who once said: “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”
Before we go, today is National Cuban Sandwich Day. A Cuban sandwich is made with ham, roast pork, swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard—all on Cuban bread.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
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 Friday, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for the Saturday edition (the weekend edition) of the Epoch Times News Brief. For now, let’s all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today! Bye for now.
