Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some pressing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
The world reacts to President Donald Trump’s plan concerning the United States taking over the Gaza Strip; a federal judge weighs in on an executive order dealing with birthright citizenship, and a number of families sue the Trump administration over federal funding for certain procedures for transgender minors.
Also, our nation’s top diplomat says the United States is contemplating an offer to outsource a portion of our nation’s prison system to El Salvador, and one South American country announces plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization—we look at the reason behind this separation.
World Reacts to Trump’s Gaza Plan
Following a recent meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump made a suggestion to relocate nearly 1.7 million Gazans to safe communities built for them in nearby Egypt and Jordan, while the United States secures Gaza, clears the rubble, and turns it into a new “Riviera” for the international community.Saudi Arabia says it’s opposed to Trump’s plans to resettle those residents elsewhere. It also says that the kingdom won’t normalize relations with Israel without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
France’s foreign ministry is also against the plan. It says that the move would be a serious violation of international law, an attack on the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a two-state solution, and a major destabilizing factor for the entire region.
Britain’s prime minister says that the Palestinians must be allowed to return home and rebuild, and that his country must stand with them during that time on the way to a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, both Spain and Russia are also in favor of a two-state solution, while Jordan’s King Abdullah is rejecting any attempt to either annex land or displace Palestinians.
Additionally, the terrorist group Hamas, which attacked Israel in October 2023 and triggered the recent war that led to Gaza’s devastation, says that Trump’s remarks are “ridiculous and absurd,” and that his plan is “a recipe for creating chaos and tension” throughout the entire region.
However, a number of current and former Israeli officials are praising the move, with one saying that encouraging the Gazans to leave is the only correct strategy to end the war once and for all between Israel and Hamas.
By the way, Trump cited the war zone’s current condition, as well as its long history of violence, as part of his thinking that it’s time to try something new.
2nd Judge Halts Birthright Citizenship Order
A federal judge in Maryland has just issued a nationwide preliminary injunction that prevents Trump’s directive concerning birthright citizenship from taking effect on Feb. 19 as scheduled. This makes her the second judge in the past two weeks to stop that order from being implemented.The court ruled in favor of two immigrant rights organizations along with five pregnant women who say that the order would unconstitutionally deny U.S. citizenship to their future children based on the immigration status of their parents.
In issuing her decision, the judge said that “virtually every baby born on U.S. soil is a U.S. citizen upon birth.” She went on to say that this standard is both the law and tradition of our country, and that it will “remain the status quo” until the case is resolved.
By the way, this new ruling grants longer-term relief to people who oppose the policy, going a step further than a recent 14-day hold that was issued by a federal court in Seattle last month.
That judge called the order “blatantly unconstitutional” and is scheduled to decide later today whether or not to extend his block with another preliminary injunction, pending the case’s resolution.
To refresh your memory, the president’s order was issued shortly after he assumed office on Jan. 20, and it says that the 14th Amendment does not automatically grant citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants and other noncitizens who are born in the United States.
Families, Doctors Sue Over End to Federal Funding for Transgender Surgeries on Minors
These families have just sued the Trump administration over the president’s order, which bans federal support nationwide for transgender surgeries for children and teenagers under the age of 19.The lawsuit was filed in Maryland by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) along with a group of other organizations who are all working on behalf of two transgender young adults, five transgender adolescents, and their families. A number of LGBT groups and health professionals are also part of the lawsuit.
In case you missed it, Trump’s order is called “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” and it was issued last week. The plaintiffs say that the order is “unlawful,” that it discriminates against people on the basis of their sex and transgender status, and that they will soon request an immediate restraining order to stop enforcement of that directive.
They also argue that Trump’s order is unconstitutional because it seeks to withhold federal funds that were previously authorized by Congress. They also say that it infringes on the fundamental rights of parents to make medical decisions for their children, as well as on the rights of transgender young adults.
By the way, the directive instructs federally run insurance programs, such as Medicaid, to exclude coverage for “gender affirming care,” including puberty blockers and surgeries. It also restricts federal funding for hospitals and universities that undertake these procedures.
According to the order, medical professionals across the country are “maiming and sterilizing” a growing number of vulnerable children who lack the capacity to fully understand the long-term consequences of their decisions.
US Weighing El Salvador’s Offer to House Criminals
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that the United States is weighing a recent offer by the president of El Salvador to house criminals from any nation in his country’s jails.Rubio says the unprecedented offer is “very generous,” and that it would allow us to send some of our most dangerous and violent criminals to El Salvador and have them locked up at a fraction of the cost of what we’re currently paying to incarcerate them here in the United States.
Officials say the offer also covers illegal immigrants, and that if an agreement is reached, El Salvador would be compensated for its efforts.
That country’s president says the fee “would be relatively low for the U.S.” but significant for El Salvador, and that it would make the country’s “entire prison system sustainable.”
Meanwhile, a number of U.S. lawmakers and government employees are throwing their support behind the idea, including Elon Musk, the billionaire who’s currently leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
For his part, Rubio says that he’s already briefed President Donald Trump on the matter and that right now, they’re weighing their options. He pointed out that the decision involves a number of legal issues, including the Constitution, which provides protections for U.S. citizens.
Argentina Announces Withdrawal From WHO
Argentina’s government has announced its decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO). It says that the COVID-19 lockdowns were one of the greatest economic catastrophes in world history, and cited their severe and lasting impact on global economies as its primary reason for leaving.Argentina’s President Javier Milei says that the WHO “promoted indefinite quarantines without scientific backing” during the COVID-19 pandemic, which should be considered “crimes against humanity.”
He went on to say that according to the International Criminal Court, it should be held accountable for keeping children out of school, leaving thousands of workers without income, and for the loss of 130,000 lives. He also says that the WHO was created in 1948 to coordinate global health emergency responses, but that it failed its most significant test.
He’s urging the international community to “reassess the role” of what he calls “supranational organizations,” which he says are not fulfilling the purposes for which they were created. He also says they engage in political maneuvering and attempt to impose their will on member states.
In case you missed it, President Donald Trump recently announced that the United States is pulling out of the WHO, saying that the global health agency mishandled a number of international health crises. He also says the WHO has failed to act independently, and that it requires unfair payments from the United States, which has been the agency’s top contributor.
In response, a WHO spokesperson said that he hopes the United States will reconsider that decision for the benefit of both Americans and people all around the world.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Thursday 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 Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who said: “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”
Schweitzer was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician.
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, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
