Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, March 28, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas.
New York Starts Handing Out Prepaid Debit Cards to Illegal Immigrants
New York City officials on March 25 started handing out prepaid debit cards to illegal immigrants. This is part of a $53 million pilot program, which has been criticized for possibly encouraging people to illegally cross the U.S. border.The first batch of cards were given out to a small number of families on Monday—the first day of the program. But that will extend to around 460 people by next week. These prepaid cards, called immediate response cards, allow holders to purchase food and baby supplies at certain stores.
Some criticized the program for using taxpayer money to provide services to those who entered the country illegally, fearing that the prospect of “free money” might encourage more illegal immigration.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called the cards a “cost-effective” win-win, saying it saves taxpayers more than $600,000 per month. He highlights that the aim is to tackle the humanitarian issues caused by more asylum-seekers arriving, while also focusing on delivering services efficiently and cost-effectively. There are efforts to make it clear to people at the border that the program doesn’t provide unlimited free services, he added.
Despite the criticisms, Mayor Adams is committed to the initiative, stating the importance of not stopping significant programs because of public criticism.
Appeals Court Extends Block on Texas Arrests of Illegal Immigrants
An appeals court has stopped Texas from enforcing Senate Bill 4 (S.B. 4), a state law targeting illegal immigration, keeping an earlier halt in place.The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decided this after the Supreme Court had temporarily allowed the law to be enforced. One member of the three-judge panel expressed dissent on the decision.
The majority’s opinion said the United States has broad immigration powers and that Texas hasn’t offered enough explanation as to why the United States should be barred from suing the state over its law.
S.B. 4 was passed by the Texas Legislature in November 2023. It aims to tighten immigration enforcement in Texas by making illegal entry and re-entry into the state a criminal offense. It authorizes state judges and magistrates to issue orders for the removal of individuals found in violation.
The U.S. government and various nonprofits argued that S.B. 4 went beyond Texas’s authority by stepping on the federal government’s exclusive powers over immigration control.
The appeals court’s decision supports an earlier injunction based on the law’s conflict with federal authority, highlighting issues with federal preemption, conflicts of interest, executive discretion, and foreign policy.
However, Judge Andrew S. Oldham disagreed, believing that the Texas law should be enforced. He added that the problems at the border stem, at least in part, from the federal government’s decision “not to enforce the immigration laws Congress wrote.”
Critics of the law see it as the most aggressive attempt by a state to address illegal immigration since a similar Arizona law. Supporters argue it’s a necessary step to protect Texas communities amid perceived federal inaction on illegal immigration.
New York Judge Denies Trump Request to File Motions
On March 26, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan denied two motions from former President Trump’s lawyers.The first motion requested permission to file new motions, which the judge permitted on the condition that a one-page pre-motion is submitted and approved by the court. The second motion was to make all case documents and communications public. Justice Merchan said that some personal information need to be redacted to follow a previous protective order.
Justice Merchan criticized the defense’s attempts to “repeatedly” delay the trial. He mentioned that on March 7, President Trump’s lawyers filed a motion to adjourn the trial based on presidential immunity. He said the motion was submitted just two and a half weeks before the trial was supposed to start.
Defense attorneys argued that this restriction on filing motions was a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial because it could block the defense from filing new motions.
However, Justice Merchan said the order was meant to “efficiently manage the case at bar” by giving the parties the necessary time to file “valid” arguments. He dismissed the argument that this violated the Sixth Amendment, emphasizing that the rule did not stop anyone from filing motions.
Additionally, Justice Merchan refused to unseal and make public all case pleadings, court orders, and communications. He said that some details need to be redacted in this case. He pointed out that the important documents and court decisions are available on the court’s website.
Looking ahead to the trial, which was initially scheduled for April 25, Justice Merchan adjourned a pre-trial hearing to an earlier date after the defense accused the Manhattan district attorney of misconduct.
The district attorney has charged President Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records, and the defense argued the prosecutors sought to prevent them from obtaining potentially exculpatory evidence.
Judge Merchan disagreed with how the defense viewed the evidence, saying that there was a “pattern” of the defense interpreting information differently than he reads it, and that this has been going on for “several months” now.
He moved the trial date earlier to April 15.
President Trump told reporters that he did not believe the trial would take place next month, and that he was willing to testify because he “did nothing wrong.”
Trump Responds to Gag Order, Targets Judge and His Daughter
President Trump on Wednesday criticized Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing his “hush money” case, for imposing a gag order against him.Judge Juan Merchan is presiding over the criminal case accusing President Trump of making payments in the 2016 election, which the former president has denied. On Tuesday, the judge issued a gag order blocking the former president from making public comments about court staff, jurors, witnesses, or prosecutors in the case.
President Trump claimed this order violated his and the public’s First Amendment rights to free speech, and accused the judge of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” President Trump also criticized the judge’s daughter.
President Trump wrote on Truth Social that the judge’s “daughter represents Crooked Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, and other Radical Liberals.” His daughter also allegedly “has just posted a picture of me behind bars, her obvious goal, and makes it completely impossible for me to get a fair trial.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has accused President Trump of falsifying business records to hide payments made to Stormy Daniels to stop her claims that she and President Trump had an affair.
President Trump’s lawyers attempted to fight the gag order. “President Trump’s political opponents have, and will continue to, attack him based on this case,” Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles said in a recent court filing. “The voters have the right to listen to President Trump’s unfettered responses to those attacks—not just one side of that debate.”
The trial is set to start on April 15.
Overall, President Trump is facing 91 felony counts in various cases. He has said he hasn’t done anything wrong and has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He said the cases are politically motivated to harm his 2024 presidential race.
Disney Reaches Settlement With DeSantis, District Board
Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) are close to ending their legal fight.The CFTOD board agreed to a deal with Disney that drops two active lawsuits and cancels a past development agreement between Disney and the former board. In exchange, CFTOD will stop its legal actions against Disney, acknowledge Disney’s ownership of permits, and negotiate a new development deal. The board unanimously agreed to this settlement.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s office stated that no corporation should be its own government, and expressed readiness to work with Disney and CFTOD to boost the economy, tourism, and governance in Central Florida.
This issue started in February 2023 when Gov. DeSantis signed a law replacing the Reedy Creek Improvement District board with the CFTOD board, leading to Disney’s legal actions. The court eventually dismissed the lawsuits.
The dispute was about Disney’s alleged ownership of most of the land and acting like its own government. Disney also tried to keep control over its land by making deals with the old board, but the state said those deals were not valid.
Gov. DeSantis believes Disney will work with the new board to make a new deal and add more attractions, similar to Universal Orlando Resort’s new Epic Universe park. He expressed optimism for future cooperation and economic benefits for Florida.
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 … and so you know, you don’t look a day over 31. Other celebrities (just like you) putting another candle on the birthday cake today include …
Country singer Reba McEntire is 69, actor Vince Vaughn is 54, and singer/movie star Lady Gaga is 38-years-old today. You saw her starring in the most recent edition of the movie, “A Star is Born,” which came out in 2018.
Finally this morning, if you enjoy The Epoch Times “News Brief,” please let us know by sending over 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].
Thanks for tuning in and for all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas. Have a great day and it’s almost Friday! Stay safe.
