Good morning, and welcome to the Epoch Times News Brief for Wed, March 27, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas.
9,000 Mail-in Ballots ‘Mistakenly’ Left Out of Primary Election
A Chicago Board of Elections official said Sunday that he had “mistakenly” left out over 9,000 mail-in ballots from one of the races in last week’s Illinois state primary election, raising renewed concerns about voting by mail ahead of the November presidential election.Max Bever, director of public information at the Chicago Board of Elections, admitted to the mistake in a statement on March 23.
The error occurred when adding up the total number of Vote By Mail ballots. The race affected was the contest between Eileen O’Neill Burke and Clayton Harris III for the state’s attorney in Chicago’s Cook County.
Ms. O'Neill Burke is regarded as the tougher candidate on crime and is critical of the policy of not prosecuting retail theft as a felony if the value of stolen goods is below $1,000.
“It doesn’t deter crime, it promotes it,” she said.
By contrast, Mr. Harris supports keeping this policy.
“If someone came and took my cell phone, is that cell phone worth a felony on your record? I do not think so,” he told AP. “We look at recidivism. We charge everyone appropriately.”
According to Mr. Bever, the missing ballots have been secured in a receiving cage and inspected, processed, and counted by election judges between March 22 and March 23. They are already reflected in the unofficial results.
Preliminary results show Mr. Harris leading at 52.14 percent and Ms. O’Neil Burke trailing at 47.86 percent. The final tally could still change as the counting period lasts through April 2, with official results to be announced on April 9.
The incident has attracted criticism on social media, with some questioning the integrity of mail-in ballots and expressing concerns about fraud.
“Sounds fishy,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to a post on the debacle.
Voting by mail has faced increased scrutiny following the 2020 presidential election, with claims of irregularities and fraud made by former President Donald Trump.
A recent study exploring the likely impact that fraudulent mail-in ballots had in the 2020 election found that the outcome would “almost certainly” have been different without the massive expansion of absentee ballots.
Judge Issues Trump Gag Order Ahead of ‘Hush Money’ Trial
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has issued a gag order on former President Donald Trump in relation to the “hush money” case against him.Judge Merchan had said in a hearing last year that he would not be entering a gag order at the time. But the order now comes after two other courts have issued gag orders on President Trump that have been upheld by appeals panels.
Specifically, President Trump will be prohibited from making statements or directing others to make public statements about known or likely witnesses in relation to the case, jurors or prospective jurors, members of court and district attorney staff, and family members of counsel or staff “if those statements are made with the intent to materially interfere with ... counsel’s or staff’s work in this criminal case, or with the knowledge that such interference is likely to result.”
This order is similar to previous gag orders on Trump but includes a broader prohibition on statements about prospective jurors. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office requested the gag order, citing other prosecutors’ requests for similar orders.
President Trump’s defense attorneys argued that as the presumptive Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election, President Trump has a First Amendment right to speak about his legal cases, and defend himself in the public forum, and that Americans have a First Amendment right to hear his side of the story.
The judge disagreed, finding the nature of the comments beyond protection. Judge Merchan claimed that President Trump’s statements were “threatening, inflammatory, denigrating” and that President Trump targeted “local and federal officials, court and court staff, prosecutors and staff assigned to the cases, and private individuals including grand jurors performing their civic duty” in his statements.
The trial, originally scheduled for March 25, has been delayed to April 15.
President Trump, who has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records by the Manhattan District Attorney, expressed doubts about the trial happening next month, citing potential interference with the upcoming presidential election.
“I don’t know that you’re going to have the trial,” he told reporters. “I don’t know how you can have a trial like this in the middle of an election, a presidential election ... I don’t know that you’re going to have a trial, I think we’re going to get some court rulings.”
Trump Says Biden Behind Every Single ‘Lawfare’ Attack Against Him—And That It Will Backfire
Former President Trump said on Monday that President Biden is behind all the legal attacks against him, referring to them as “lawfare.” He said that all the cases he’s embroiled in amount to “election interference” that will ultimately have the “reverse effect.”President Trump made the remarks during a press conference at the Trump Building in New York, after a court agreed to pause the collection of a $464 million judgment against him if he puts up $175 million as bond within 10 days. He said at the press conference that he would “very quickly” post the required amount. If he does put up the money, it will prevent the state from seizing his assets while he appeals the judgment.
The former president accused President Biden of being behind the legal efforts. President Trump said that the various legal cases he faces could have been brought immediately after he left office. But their timing is all about trying to hamstring his presidential comeback bid.
The former president said, “Every single one of them is run by Biden and his thugs. It’s the only way they think they can get elected and I think, so far, it’s backfiring.”
Polls currently show President Trump leading President Biden by 1.7 points. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on President Trump’s latest allegations, but President Biden previously insisted that he had not and would not interfere in the various Trump cases.
The trial against President Trump centers on allegations that he fraudulently overstated his net worth to obtain bank loans. President Trump and his lawyers argue that the financial statements included disclaimers advising banks to conduct their own due diligence.
For example, David Williams, a Deutsche Bank executive who worked on at least one of three loans the bank gave to President Trump, testified in November 2023 that it isn’t unusual for a bank to cut a client’s stated asset value—even by half—and still approve a loan, just like it did with the former president.
Mr. Williams also said it’s standard practice for Deutsche Bank to subject a client’s asset value to an adjustment, saying differences between a client and the bank about a client’s asset values aren’t a disqualifying factor when considering granting loans because “it’s just a difference of opinion.”
However, prosecutors rejected this reasoning, as did Judge Engoron, who ordered President Trump to pay $355 million in damages and barred him from doing business in New York for three years.
President Trump alleged at the press conference that this legal action against him is a form of “election interference,” and expressed concerns about setting a dangerous precedent. He questioned whether President Biden and his team had crossed the legal line. He suggested that those involved in the “lawfare” against him should face consequences.
Gang Leader From FBI’s Most Wanted Arrested at Border in San Diego
A high-ranking leader of the international MS-13 gang, Fredy Ivan Jandres-Parada, also known as “Lucky De Park View,” was arrested on narco-terrorism charges at the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego.Federal authorities arrested him at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on March 7. Jandres-Parada has been charged for his alleged involvement in ordering acts of violence, drug distribution, and extortion schemes. He is a senior leader of MS-13’s Ranfla Nacional leadership council, which controls thousands of MS-13 members worldwide.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued a federal warrant for his arrest in late December 2020. The indictment revealed the Department of Justice’s strategy to target the MS-13 leadership in El Salvador to dismantle its command and ability to direct contingents in the United States.
MS-13 has an estimated 10,000 members across the United States and is responsible for various violent crimes. The gang has infiltrated U.S. cities and suburbs, and established contingents in several states, according to a 2020 DOJ report.
Most MS-13 members are Salvadoran nationals or first-generation Salvadoran Americans.
The Surprising Secret to Boosting Endurance Performance
Elite endurance athletes are constantly in search of ways to gain a competitive edge, trying various methods such as saunas, fasting, and yoga. However, one surprising superfruit that has recently shown promise in enhancing performance is cranberries.Canadian scientists conducted trials on elite distance runners and found that cranberry supplements improved performance and reduced muscle fatigue. Runners experienced faster reoxygenation rates and a 1.5 percent increase in running speeds.
The study enrolled 14 experienced runners who completed time trials of a mile and a quarter mile. The results showed that cranberry supplementation improved the one-mile speeds but not the quarter-mile ones. However, it reduced lactate buildup in the shorter race but not in the longer one compared to baseline.
Cranberries also facilitated better muscle oxygen extraction, lactate clearance, and slower deoxygenation.
Other berry varieties also offer numerous benefits. Many are packed with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants, yet contain relatively low sugar compared to other fruits.
Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries are nutrient-dense superfoods.
Cherries provide natural anti-inflammatory properties, while strawberries offer excellent hydration.
Grapes, açaí berries, and raisins supply essential vitamins and minerals, making them ideal for an athlete’s diet.
In short, whether you’re a long-distance runner, sprinter, or casual exerciser, incorporating more of these fruit varieties into your diet could be a wise choice.
That’s our final story on today’s News Brief. But before we sign off, we always take a moment out of each morning to celebrate you, if today is in fact the day you were born. My best guess is that you’re about 29 today and your fellow birthday celebrants include:
Jazz musician Dave Koz is 61, movie director Quentin Tarantino is also 61, legendary actor Michael York is 82, and Mariah Carey was born on this very day in 1969. She’s the singer with the 5-octave vocal range.
Finally this morning, we always like to remind you that if you enjoy the Epoch Times News Brief, please let us know by sending us an email. We’re at [email protected], that’s [email protected]. We always welcome your comments and thoughts and if you have any story ideas that you’d like to have featured on this program, please let us know. Again, we’re at [email protected].
Briefly, we did hear from Gregg who says thanks for the News Brief audio version and he listens while he’s in the shower. And Marta checks in to say that she’s enjoying the program; she says it’s informative, precise, and brief.
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Thanks for tuning in and for all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas and have a great day!
