US News

US Senate Passes Bill to Fight Anti-Asian Hate Crimes

WASHINGTON—A hate crimes bill to combat violence against Asian Americans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic passed the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly on Thursday, a rare bipartisan vote in the evenly divided chamber. The bill passed 94-1, with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) the only no vote. It must pass the House of Representatives, where Democrats hold a clear majority. President Joe Biden has called for passage. “When given the opportunity to work, the Senate can work. Members from both sides of the aisle have worked together … to consider and perfect and enact legislation responding to a pressing issue,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the Senate floor earlier in the week. Reports of violence against Asian Americans have spiked since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The measure, authored by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), designates a Justice Department employee to expedite a …

SpaceX Aims for 3rd Crew Launch Hour Before Friday’s Sunrise

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—SpaceX aimed to launch its third crew a little before sunrise Friday, this time using a recycled capsule and rocket. The four astronauts, representing the United States, Japan, and France, were supposed to fly to the International Space Station on Thursday. But liftoff was delayed because of poor weather offshore. SpaceX’s Dragon capsule requires calm waves and winds in case an emergency splashdown is needed during the climb to orbit. Friday’s forecast should be much improved, officials said. Liftoff was set for 5:49 a.m. EDT. “Our friends on the @Space_Station are expecting us to show up and we don’t want to be late,” wrote French astronaut Thomas Pesquet on Twitter. “They even installed my bedroom recently and literally made my bed. Such nice hosts!” For the first time, Elon Musk’s company is launching astronauts with a previously flown capsule and rocket, just as it’s done for station supply …

Manhattan Subway Bomber Sentenced to Life in Prison

NEW YORK—A Bangladeshi man convicted of setting off a pipe bomb during rush hour in New York City’s busiest subway station, Times Square, was sentenced on Thursday to life plus 30 years in prison. Akayed Ullah, 31, of Brooklyn, had claimed he wanted to kill only himself and was not acting on behalf of the ISIS terrorist group when he detonated his homemade bomb on Dec. 11, 2017. No one died and four people were injured in the explosion, which led to the temporary closure of the station and the adjacent Port Authority Bus Terminal during the morning rush. Ullah was burned in what prosecutors called a “lone wolf” attack. U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Sullivan, who imposed the sentence, told Ullah he had committed a “truly barbaric and heinous crime” without regard for the humanity of those in his way. “They were just people on the way to work, or …

Cuccinelli: Radical Left Sees Border Crisis as Voter Registration Line

The current administration’s actions to diminish border security measures and promise amnesty to illegal immigrants, coupled with Congress’s new election reform legislation, is directly related to future votes for the Democratic Party, according to Ken Cuccinelli, former acting deputy secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. “The radical left looks at that border and they see a voter registration line. And they’re very confident—I think incorrectly—but they’re very confident that these are future votes for their radical left agenda,” Cuccinelli told The Epoch Times’ “American Thought Leaders” program on April 20. A study conducted by Old Dominion University in Virginia suggests that illegal immigrants vote 80 percent Democratic and 20 percent Republican. The election reform legislation, H.R.1, also known as the “For the People Act,” was passed by the House on March 3. The bill would federalize elections, overriding the current constitutional mandate that states choose the “manner, times, and …

Speaker Pelosi Will Allow Republican Subpoena Power on Proposed Jan. 6 Commission

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she has agreed to allow Republicans in a potential 9/11 style commission to have equal subpoena power and an equal number of members on the panel that would investigate the Jan. 6 breach on the U.S. Capitol, but the scope of what the panel would investigate is still being challenged. When Pelosi first proposed the commission, the Democrats’ plan was to have a majority of members on the panel have sole subpoena power, to which Republicans objected and talks stalled. Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said to gain the public’s confidence in the findings of the commission, it needs the same authority and representation as to the two party’s members on the panel. “This time however Speaker Pelosi started by proposing a commission that would be partisan by design—seven appointments for Democrats, just four for Republicans. The 9/11 Commission also built consensus by …

Poll Shows Majority of Americans Are Concerned About Anti-Police Rhetoric

A Rasmussen Reports survey released Wednesday found that the majority of Americans are worried that anti-police rhetoric, which is often pushed by progressive Democrats, will result in a shortage of law enforcement officers and endanger public safety. The April 13-14 survey, distributed to 1,000 likely U.S. voters, asked respondents, “How concerned are you that the growing criticism of America’s police will lead to a shortage of police officers and reduce public safety in the community where you live?” Sixty-three percent said they are either “very” or “somewhat” concerned about anti-police rhetoric. Eighty-four percent of Republicans, 52 percent of Democrats, and 59 percent of independents expressed different levels of concern over the rhetoric. Additionally, 52 percent of black voters said they are concerned, and 61 percent of non-white voters are equally troubled. The questionnaire comes as the nation debates police reform, after the killing of a black man, George Floyd, was filmed. Police officer, …

Defense Attorney and Policing Expert Weigh In After Jury Convicts Chauvin

After the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on three counts in the death of George Floyd, a criminal defense attorney and a policing expert weighed in on what the decision means and what to look for moving forward. Jurors spent only about eight hours deliberating before convicting Chauvin. For Chris Van Wagner, a veteran defense attorney and former prosecutor in Wisconsin, that shows the evidence against Chauvin was strong. “I think the verdict represents a very clear statement from the 12 members of the jury that the evidence was overwhelming. I think the fact that they returned guilty verdicts on all three counts in what was generally considered a short amount of time for a case of this magnitude and of this length reflects that they had no real big disputes. They never asked the jury question. When they came in there did not appear to be any hesitation on …