Good morning, and welcome to the Epoch Times News Brief. I’m Bill Thomas.
Colorado Election Chief Makes Stunning Statement About Trump Ruling
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold expressed her disappointment with the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision allowing former President Donald Trump to appear on the Colorado ballot for the Super Tuesday caucuses.The Supreme Court overturned a Colorado court’s ruling that found President Trump ineligible under the 14th Amendment due to his alleged involvement in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Ms. Griswold believes that states should have the power to bar such individuals from the ballot. “I do believe that states should be able under our Constitution to bar oath-breaking insurrectionists,” she said in an interview with MSNBC on March 4.
According to a press release from Ms. Griswold’s office, a lawsuit was filed by voters seeking to disqualify President Trump from the ballot, citing his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. A Dec. 19, 2023, ruling in the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that President Trump did engage in insurrection, and those actions disqualified him from the presidential primary ballot in Colorado.
Ms. Griswold criticized the Supreme Court for alleged issues with unreported gifts and bribery, but emphasized the importance of respecting court decisions while expressing dissent.
Ms. Griswold hoped that Congress would pursue insurrection charges against the former president. While she disagreed with the Supreme Court ruling, she acknowledged the clarity it provides for voters.
The verdict from the Supreme Court paves the way for President Trump’s candidacy. This ruling not only stirs the political pot but also sets a significant precedent for future elections.
After Trump Ruling, Colorado Republicans Threaten Secretary With Recall
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) threatened Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold with a recall effort after the Supreme Court ruled that states could not disqualify former President Donald Trump as a candidate.Ms. Griswold expressed disappointment at the ruling and posted a statement on social media, to which Ms. Boebert replied harshly, questioning Ms. Griswold’s fitness for office.
Ms. Boebert, along with other Colorado Republican Party members, accused Ms. Griswold of trying to disenfranchise voters and rig the primary election. They claimed that Coloradans should have zero faith in Ms. Griswold’s ability to protect their right to vote.
The Republicans stated that they would pursue all legal options, including a formal recall effort.
In Colorado, the secretary of state oversees recall efforts, and a petition must be approved by the secretary before obtaining signatures. The petition would then require signatures totaling 25 percent of all votes cast in the last election for secretary of state.
The Supreme Court’s decision prevented states from disqualifying federal candidates under the 14th Amendment. They ruled that only Congress holds authority over the use of Section 3 of the Amendment. All nine justices agreed that it is not the role of individual states to disqualify federal candidates, and they highlighted the inability of states to remove a sitting federal officer who had engaged in “insurrection.”
Witness Prepared to Testify That Georgia Trump Prosecutor Lied: Filing
A witness has accused Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor appointed to prosecute former President Donald Trump, of lying about the timeline of his romantic relationship with the official who hired him.According to the witness, the relationship between Mr. Wade and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis actually began in 2019, contradicting Mr. Wade’s claim that it started after he was hired in late 2021.
The witness, Cindi Lee Yeager, a co-chief deputy district attorney, stated that she had conversations with Terence Bradley, Mr. Wade’s divorce attorney, who relayed that Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis met in 2019 and began their relationship around that time. This information was included in a filing submitted on March 4 by David Shafer, a co-defendant of President Trump.
Both Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis admit to meeting in 2019 but claim the relationship did not start until 2022 and ended in 2023.
Defendants in the case against President Trump have moved to disqualify Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis due to their relationship. Phone data revealed that Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis exchanged thousands of text messages and calls in 2021. Testimony from Mr. Bradley and another witness supports the claim that the relationship started before Mr. Wade was hired.
Closing arguments were heard on March 1, and the judge will make a ruling within two weeks. The new filing requests the judge reopen the proceedings to allow for the testimony of the witness.
Here’s Who the IRS Is Targeting This Tax Season
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has received a $60 billion cash injection, leading to an increase in its enforcement activities to boost tax revenues.The agency is utilizing cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, to better detect tax evaders and identify tax compliance loopholes.
The IRS estimates that American taxpayers pay about 85 percent of their owed taxes, leaving a significant tax gap. The agency aims to narrow this gap, prioritizing its enforcement actions on taxpayers with total positive income above $1 million and recognized tax debt of over $250,000.
The IRS has also announced initiatives targeting high-income individuals and large corporations, such as cracking down on abuse of a repealed corporate tax break. In its latest crackdown, the IRS is targeting 125,000 cases of non-filers earning over $400,000 annually between 2017 and 2021.
The agency will be sending letters to these taxpayers, urging them to take immediate action to avoid penalties. The IRS is also paying special attention to individuals who use corporate aircraft for both business and personal travel but fail to properly categorize expenses, potentially resulting in owed taxes. To aid in this effort, the IRS will employ advanced analytics and allocate part of the $60 billion funding boost.
The agency recorded a record $4.9 trillion in taxes collected in the previous fiscal year, largely due to automated collections processes and aggressive audits. As the IRS continues to increase its reliance on automated systems, it plans to hire an additional 3,700 tax enforcers and allocate $46 billion of the funding boost to enforcement.
As the IRS intensifies its efforts, a clear message is sent to tax evaders: the crackdown is intensifying.
RSV Vaccines May Increase Risk of Rare Neurological Condition
Recently approved vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults may be associated with an uncommon nervous system disorder called Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), where the body’s immune system attacks its own nerves.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detected a data mining alert for disproportionate reporting of GBS after receiving Pfizer’s Abrysvo RSV vaccine. Data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) identified 35 reports of GBS, with 18 cases attributed to Pfizer’s vaccine and 16 cases to GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Arexvy.
The CDC verified 23 GBS cases occurring within 22 days of RSV vaccination, with 15 cases from Pfizer’s vaccine and eight from GSK’s vaccine. One death was reported in a 70-year-old man who received Arexvy. However, underreporting is a limitation of the VAERS system, and more cases of GBS may be occurring than are being captured. The CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) suggests a potential increased rate of GBS with GSK’s Arexvy vaccine, but further analysis is needed. Risk estimates for GBS after RSV vaccination in individuals aged 60 and older are still uncertain.
The CDC stated that the risk-benefit analysis supports the use of RSV vaccines in this age group due to the burden of RSV.
GBS has been reported after other vaccines as well, including COVID-19, recombinant zoster, and influenza vaccines.
Recovery from GBS can take several years, and severe cases can be fatal. Other variants of GBS include Miller Fisher syndrome and Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis. While there have been reports of GBS following mRNA vaccines, such as those by Pfizer and Moderna, the FDA has not observed a similar signal.
The balance between vaccine benefits and potential risks is always delicate, highlighting the importance of ongoing monitoring and research. As we navigate these complex stories, it’s crucial to stay informed and engaged.
That’s all for today. Thanks for listening. Stay tuned for more updates.
