Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, May 24, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, and today, we’ll share with you some critical topics shaping our nation’s future—from the Supreme Court’s decision on South Carolina’s congressional map to public health governance and ongoing debates over border security.
Supreme Court Backs GOP’s New South Carolina Congressional Map
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of South Carolina’s redrawn congressional map, overturning a lower court decision. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) challenged the map, alleging “intentional racial discrimination.”A panel of federal judges had previously found that race played a dominant role in redrawing South Carolina’s First Congressional District. However, the Supreme Court majority ruled that the challengers did not provide sufficient proof of racial gerrymandering and criticized the flawed expert reports they used.
The new map, enacted in 2022, was created after receiving data from the 2020 census. South Carolina Senate President Thomas Alexander and Gov. Henry McMaster, both Republicans who were involved in the map-making process, declined to comment on the ruling. Brenda Murphy, president of the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, criticized the Supreme Court’s decision, saying it harms voting rights.
The First Congressional District, which includes over half of the state’s coast and parts of Charleston, has a population of approximately 762,000 people. Republicans had won elections in the district for decades starting in the 1980s. Former Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham changed that trend in the 2018 election, but after one term, he was unseated by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace.
The Supreme Court also addressed allegations of vote dilution and remanded that portion of the case back to the district court. Justice Clarence Thomas said that redistricting is a task for politicians, not federal judges. For her part, Justice Elena Kagan disagreed, saying that South Carolina should redraw District 1 based on a “clear error” found in the redistricting process.
House Panel Approves Measure to Rehire Troops Fired for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine
In a recent development on Capitol Hill, the House Armed Services Committee has passed a significant amendment to the annual defense policy bill, which mandates that the Pentagon must rehire U.S. troops who were dismissed for refusing to get the COVID-19 injection.The amendment is a key part of the 2025 Service Member Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act. Introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace, the measure seeks to bring back skilled personnel who were separated from service due to the vaccine mandate.
On the flip side, Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) said that vaccinations are essential for the readiness and safety of the troops. He said in a recent debate that “vaccines save lives.” He also said, “We currently vaccinate our forces to protect them and to protect their fellow troops.”
It’s worth noting that Congress lifted the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate in 2022, and last year, it asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to facilitate the return of those who were fired for refusing a COVID-19 jab. However, according to Ms. Mace, Mr. Austin has not yet initiated recruitment efforts for these individuals, which she finds disappointing.
The proposed defense budget under this bill is substantial at close to $850 billion, which aligns with the recent debt ceiling agreement.
Additionally, the bill addresses crucial issues like compensation, housing, health care, and childcare for military families.
The bill was introduced last month by House Armed Services Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) and ranking Democratic member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) to serve as the basis for the 2025 defense spending bill.
24 GOP Governors Tell Biden Not to Sign WHO Pandemic Agreement
Governors from 24 states, including Alabama, Florida, Texas, and Wyoming, have voiced their concerns over treaty negotiations led by the Biden administration. These talks involve granting significant authority to the World Health Organization (WHO) over U.S. governance and citizen rights, a move these states believe is both “unprecedented and unconstitutional.”The controversial documents in question are a new treaty called the WHO pandemic agreement and amendments to the existing International Health Regulations, which together would centralize a significant amount of authority within the WHO if it declares a state of “health emergency.”
The negotiations among member nations are now moving into their final phase, and a crucial vote at the World Health Assembly is set for May 27.
The WHO has made some adjustments to its initial proposals, notably removing a clause that would have acknowledged the organization as the leading authority on global public health response and clarifying that its recommendations are intended to be non-binding. The WHO had attempted in previous drafts to extend its powers to managing even risks related to environmental and climate issues, while the latest draft seeks to limit the WHO’s authority to diseases.
The WHO has also launched a public relations campaign, using politicians, celebrities, and religious leaders to encourage member states to sign the agreements.
The response in the United States has been sharply divided along party lines, with Democrats generally in favor and Republicans firmly opposed. Republican senators have called on President Joe Biden to either reject the treaty outright or submit it to the Senate for approval.
In the United States, the authority to deal with health issues is largely in the domain of states and outside the grasp of the federal government.
At the state level, both Louisiana and Florida have already enacted laws that reject adherence to WHO directives. Also, attorneys general from 22 states have written to President Biden, urging him not to sign the WHO agreements, arguing that they would not grant excessive control over U.S. citizens’ rights to the WHO and its director-general.
Jack Smith Hands Over 450 Pages to Trump’s Lawyers
Yesterday, special counsel Jack Smith handed over about 450 pages of materials to President Trump in the classified documents case. These documents were shared in response to a request from President Trump’s legal team. However, the situation has taken a contentious turn, with Mr. Smith’s team recently noting in a filing that some of the documents and evidence were rearranged before being scanned.In response, President Trump and his lawyers have accused the government of evidence tampering.
For months, the two sides have been arguing about how discovery information is handled and the accessibility of materials governed by the Classified Information Procedures Act. Additionally, recently unsealed court files have shown that classified documents were found in President Trump’s bedroom four months after the FBI searched his home.
Also, in a recently unsealed ruling, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said she believed there’s a possibility that the former president may have committed crimes, and she allowed Mr. Smith to bypass the usual attorney-client privilege in order to question President Trump’s former attorney. President Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of retaining classified documents after his term as president.
Judge Howell has also mandated that President Trump’s former lead attorney must cooperate with investigators by handing over necessary materials.
President Trump’s defense argues that the search of his Mar-a-Lago estate was unconstitutional and illegal. New details about the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago have also been recently unsealed, sparking claims that agents were armed and prepared to use deadly force at the time.
Earlier in May, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed the trial date. It’s not clear when the former president’s trial will start or if it will even take place before the November election.
Senate Again Blocks Border Bill
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate once again tackled the contentious issue of border security, rejecting a proposed border bill as the 2024 elections are just months away.The Border Act of 2024, which sought to give President Biden additional powers to close the border and to fund initiatives to curb the flow of fentanyl, fell short in a 43–50 vote.
The bill had faced criticism from Republicans, who had previously stopped it in February when it was part of a foreign aid package. They accused Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of bringing it back to the floor as a political maneuver ahead of the upcoming elections. Supporters of the bill argued it shows a serious commitment to securing the border. However, opponents warned it could make issues worse, especially due to a provision potentially allowing up to 5,000 illegal immigrants into the United States every day.
On the Democrat side, Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) opposed the bill, citing its failure to protect “Dreamers”—young illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children. On the Republican side, the argument was that the bill was redundant, asserting that President Biden already possesses the necessary authority to secure the border effectively.
This ongoing saga reflects a larger national debate, with many voters reportedly showing greater confidence in President Trump’s border policies over those of President Biden.
Finally, as we begin to ease into a long three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend, some things to think about.
For a lot of folks, Memorial Day signifies the unofficial start of summer. It was originally called Decoration Day, and it was established on May 5, 1868, to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil War.
After World War I, Memorial Day was expanded to honor all soldiers who have died in American wars. In 1971, the date became known as Memorial Day.
While Memorial Day is a day to honor those soldiers who have died for our country, it’s also a wonderful day to thank all veterans. A simple “Thank you for your service” goes a long way in making a veteran feel appreciated. If you don’t know a veteran, you can always write a letter to one.
I can see that we’re just about out of time, so we’ll call it a wrap for the Friday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief. It’s amazing how much information you can squeeze into a brief amount of time.
Betsy checked in to say: “Excellent broadcast. Thanks for your fact based unbiased news.”
And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap things up with a very “notable” quote.
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.” —Amelia Earhart
Earhart was an aviatrix, an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. The aircraft she was piloting, a Lockheed Electra, was never found, despite an extensive search that continued for decades.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas. Have a safe holiday weekend and we always like to remind you: if you can, please do something nice for someone else today. It’s incredibly rewarding to be in the service of another person. We’ll see you right back here tomorrow for the weekend edition of The Epoch Times News Brief. Have a fulfilling day today.
