Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, April 4, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas.
Today, We’ve got a lineup of stories that touch on politics, legal battles, public health, and election law. Stay with us as we dive into these topics, bringing you the facts and developments you need to stay informed.
Other analysts have made similar claims, accusing Ms. Willis of perjury and tampering with witnesses. They said that Ms. Willis perjured herself during statements she made in court last month, when she claimed her relationship with former Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade didn’t begin until after his appointment to the case against former President Donald Trump.
Ms. Willis is currently leading the criminal case against former President Trump and several other co-defendants, who have been charged with attempting to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Fulton County.
The former president has pleaded not guilty, saying that he was calling for a proper audit of the results of which he would respect the outcome, and calling the case an underhanded attempt to thwart his 2024 comeback bid.
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In January, a co-defendant accused Ms. Willis and former Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade of being in a secret relationship that profited them both. However, Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade denied any financial benefit and claimed their relationship started after Mr. Wade became special prosecutor.
Mr. Dershowitz has previously pointed to a lack of records to back Ms. Willis’s claims of her paying her own fare when dating Mr. Wade as a possible indication of lying. Ms. Willis says she used cash to repay him.
Witnesses, including a former friend of Ms. Willis, have testified to seeing her and Mr. Wade together before Mr. Wade’s appointment. Cell phone location data and testimony from other prosecutors also suggest a relationship between the pair before Mr. Wade’s appointment. While Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that there was not enough evidence to prove financial benefit, he did describe their relationship as a “tremendous lapse in judgment.”
President Trump and his co-defendants have appealed Judge McAfee’s decision not to disqualify Ms. Willis, arguing that there is “damning evidence” of impropriety.
Mr. Dershowitz supports their appeal and believes that Ms. Willis should be disqualified and also face a criminal investigation.
He said in an interview with Newsmax on Tuesday: “We have to have an independent prosecutor of some kind looking into what is an open and shut case of perjury.”
Ms. Willis has denied any wrongdoing. She told CNN in a recent interview that she is “not embarrassed by anything” she’s done and stressed she did not do “anything that’s illegal.” She also said that her office has continued to work on the case throughout the disqualification hearings, calling the various allegations against her a delay tactic.
Nebraska and Maine are the only two states in the United States that currently assign Electoral College votes by district.
However, if Nebraska switched to the more widely-used standard, the state’s three electoral votes would likely all go to President Trump, who easily won in the state by large margins in 2016 and 2020.
In January, legislators introduced a bill to use the standard, winner-take-all system. Mr. Pillen, a Republican, endorsed the bill on social media on Tuesday, saying that it would align Nebraska with 48 other states and ensure a unified voice in presidential elections.
His endorsement was backed by former President Trump, who called it “very smart.”
In 2020, although President Joe Biden won Nebraska’s Omaha-based congressional district, giving him one electoral vote, President Trump carried the rest of the state with nearly 60 percent of the vote.
Some analysts said on social media that if the bill becomes law, it could pose a problem for President Biden as he would not have a clear path to the 270 electoral votes he needs to win the presidency.
Politico analyst Jonathan Lemire wrote on X that, if President Biden can’t get the one electoral vote from the Omaha region, he would likely lose all six swing states except for Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
A poll released by Wall Street Journal shows that President Trump is leading Biden in the six swing states. It also shows that President Trump was viewed as having the better physical and mental fitness for the job by 48 percent of respondents, compared to 28 percent for President Biden.
The complaint, lodged on April 2, describes Judge Walton’s comments as “clearly inappropriate, defamatory, highly prejudicial, and outrageous.”
Judge Walton went on CNN after President Trump criticized a New York judge and his daughter.
According to the complaint, the judge’s remarks were exaggerated and hyperbolic. CNN characterized the judge’s comments as an “extraordinary rebuke” of President Trump. The complaint argues that expressing concerns about a judge’s daughter’s political activities should not be seen as a threat or incitement of violence by a criminal defendant. It also claims that Judge Walton’s comments were extremely prejudicial to President Trump and could impact his upcoming trials in different locations, including Washington where Judge Walton is based. The complaint accuses Judge Walton of violating the code of conduct for federal judges by publicly commenting on pending court matters, which is unusual for a federal judge. The complaint was filed by The Article III Project, founded by lawyer Mike Davis, and was sent to Sri Srinivasan, chief judge for the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The complaint calls for immediate action against Judge Walton and suggests that Congress should intervene if the council does not act. Calls for impeachment have been made, but no formal action has been taken. Judge Walton’s chambers did not provide a comment on the matter.
Moving on to a different topic, in New Mexico, U.S. District Court Judge James Browning ruled that state officials violated the National Voter Registration Act by refusing to provide voter data to the Voter Reference Foundation. The court named New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver and Attorney General Raul Torrez as defendants. The ruling stated that the foundation’s creation of a searchable online database with voter information was justified to provide public access to election-related data. Despite New Mexico election laws restricting the use of voter data for certain purposes, the court ruled that this ban limited public access to voter data and violated federal disclosure requirements. The New Mexico secretary of state’s office plans to appeal the ruling. The ruling was seen as a win for election transparency by the Republican National Lawyers Association.
Lastly, the CDC recently released previously hidden reports of suspected adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination, totaling 780,000 reports. These reports revealed various issues experienced by individuals after vaccination, such as heart inflammation, miscarriages, seizures, and facial paralysis. The release of this data was ordered by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, and it highlighted cases of heart inflammation, facial paralysis, and other concerns not previously disclosed by the CDC. The CDC became aware of the vaccine’s potential side effects early in 2021 but did not make this information public. The data was made available due to litigation brought by the Informed Consent Action Network, a nonprofit organization. The CDC spokesperson acknowledged that the data helped identify vaccine-related problems. Today’s edition of News Brief also commemorated the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., on this date in 1968. His movies as a leading actor have earned over $14 billion worldwide. Today, illusionist and magician David Blaine celebrates his 51st birthday. If you enjoy The Epoch Times “News Brief,” please reach out to us via email at [email protected] or [email protected] We value your feedback and comments. Listeners like Billie Jo appreciate the brief and the narrator’s tasteful commentary that brings smiles to their day. Another listener finds the audio news brief helpful as they prepare for their day. Our portable and on-demand platform allows you to stay informed on important issues quickly and conveniently from anywhere. Thank you for tuning in to The Epoch Times News Brief. I’m Bill Thomas, wishing you a fantastic day.
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