News Brief: New Details on Trump–Harris ABC Debate; California’s Gun Law Blocked; Temu Questioned for Its CCP Connections

Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some very compelling stories to share with you today, and here’s what’s going on.
ABC News will host a highly anticipated political debate, a California law limiting gun purchases is blocked—for now—and state attorneys general are questioning a Chinese online retailer regarding data security. Also, an American athlete is appealing for the return of her Olympic medal, and there’s a salmonella outbreak affecting 31 U.S. states.
According to the network, the Trump–Harris debate will take place in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center on Sept. 10 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. David Muir, the anchor of “World News Tonight,” and Linsey Davis, an ABC News anchor and correspondent, will serve as moderators. The debate will also be available to watch on ABC, ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu.
The Harris–Walz campaign announced that Harris is willing to participate in two debates against Trump, starting with the one on Sept. 10. Harris also expressed willingness to have a second debate sometime in October.
Trump has pushed for even more debates against Harris, proposing three dates on different networks. Harris had previously declined the offer of a debate on Fox on Sept. 4, choosing instead to stick to the Sept. 10 debate on ABC, which President Joe Biden had already agreed to.
To refresh your memory, the debate between Trump and Biden on June 27 was hosted by CNN in an empty Atlanta studio, and now, both Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) have called for future debates to include a live audience.
Interesting to note that a Trump campaign adviser said just last weekend that if Harris rejected the Sept. 4 and Sept. 25 debates, Trump would simply proceed with town halls.
And so, the Sept. 4 Fox News event, now apparently a town hall, is set to air live from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and NBC will host an event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sept. 25.
The Firearms Policy Coalition sued, saying that the law was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge William Q. Hayes agreed, and he ruled in March that it violated the Second Amendment based on a Supreme Court decision.
While Hayes permanently blocked the law, California Attorney General Rob Bonta appealed the decision. California’s lawyers defended the law by citing a different law barring people from buying guns while intoxicated and imposing limitations on certain groups from buying guns.
A three-judge panel of the appeals court decided in April to temporarily pause the lower court’s decision while the appeal is being considered, but a different three-judge panel lifted the stay just this week after the judges expressed doubt that the law was constitutional.
The judges questioned the reason behind restricting gun purchases and compared it to limiting other fundamental rights like book purchases or protests.
During a hearing, Judge Danielle J. Forrest, one of the judges who canceled the stay, questioned the basis of controlling how frequently citizens can exercise their right to bear arms. Judge John B. Owens also raised concerns about the law impeding core self-defense rights under the Second Amendment.
You should know that the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which is a federal law, bans imports from Xinjiang unless companies can prove that they were not made with forced labor.
China’s communist regime has locked up over 1 million Uyghurs in internment camps in Xinjiang under the pretext of “combating extremism.” Detainees at the camps are subjected to forced labor, torture, political indoctrination, forced abortion, and other inhumane treatment.
Besides the forced labor issue, the attorneys general also expressed worries about the amount of user data collected by Temu, questioning its potential connections to the CCP and the possibility of sharing consumer data with the CCP.
In addition to Temu, other Chinese-owned companies, such as video-sharing app TikTok and e-commerce platform Shein, have faced scrutiny over data security issues. You should know that the Center for Internet Security warned about Chinese laws allowing data harvesting from these companies.
In response to these issues, the state of Montana banned TikTok in May last year, labeling it a CCP “spying tool that poses a threat to every Montanan.” In June this year, the state of Arkansas filed a lawsuit against Temu, accusing the online platform of violating state privacy laws and engaging in deceptive trade practices.
Michael Lucci, founder of U.S.-based nonprofit State Armor, praised the state attorneys general for their efforts, encouraging “more state leaders to step up and protect American citizens from Communist China’s malevolent behavior.”
Chiles addressed the issue recently on Instagram, saying that the news was “devastating.” She also said she had believed an appeal against the decision made by USA Gymnastics (USAG) would be successful, noting that it provided conclusive evidence that her score followed all the rules.
Chiles also mentioned facing racially driven attacks on social media, which she finds wrong and hurtful. She said: “I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport and I am so proud to represent my culture and my country.”
Her comments come after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) last week ruled that her coach was four seconds too late when she asked for a review of the athlete’s score during the floor exercise final.
Initially finishing fifth, Chiles’s score was later increased after her coach lodged the inquiry, leading to her winning the bronze medal. However, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation filed an official challenge with the CAS over the decision, arguing the inquiry missed a one-minute deadline after the published result.
Chiles was ultimately stripped of the bronze medal, which was then awarded to a Romanian gymnast.
USA Gymnastics has appealed the decision with evidence the group said demonstrated the inquiry was submitted 47 seconds after Chiles’s score was published, but the CAS ruled against reconsidering the award. USA Gymnastics expressed deep disappointment and vowed to explore all possible avenues, including the Swiss Federal Tribunal, to rectify the scoring discrepancy and ensure that Chiles receives her award.
Chiles thanked her supporters on Instagram and recognized the challenging situation she faces. She said that she still hopes that “at the end of this journey, the people in control will do the right thing.”
Last month, the FDA identified Florida-based Bedner Growers Inc. as a supplier location from where the outbreak began. The FDA recently found Thomas Produce Company, of Boca Raton, Florida, as another supplier linked to the infections.
According to a recent update by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Thomas Produce supplied cucumbers to various locations where sick individuals had reported eating cucumbers. The FDA found salmonella in canal water used by Thomas Produce, matching the strain causing infections in the outbreak. The FDA had identified salmonella in untreated canal water at Bedner as well.
More types of salmonella were detected in water and soil samples from both of these companies. The two firms are currently not growing or harvesting cucumbers for this season, so there is likely no ongoing risk to the public, but the CDC points out that more suppliers may be involved in the outbreak.
By July 2, the outbreak had affected 449 people in 31 states and the District of Columbia, with the majority of cases in the Eastern United States.
You should know that the outbreak could involve more people as many individuals recover without seeking medical care or testing.
It’s important to point out that symptoms of salmonella infection include fever, diarrhea, and stomach cramps, generally lasting for four to seven days. Severe cases may require medical attention, particularly in high-risk groups. The CDC recommends hand-washing, thorough washing of produce, and proper cooking and refrigeration practices to prevent salmonella infections.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Saturday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Thanks for sharing some time with us today, and we always encourage you to invite your friends, family, co-workers, and even some perfect strangers to join our ever-expanding News Brief family. As you know, we are very inclusive, and everyone is welcome to stop by, take a break, and scope out the program.
*(Don’t forget the News Brief Motto): We’re portable, affordable, and always on-demand.
And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from the great Charles Dickens, who said: “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.”
Charles Dickens penned for us “Oliver Twist,” “A Christmas Carol,” and so much more. He was an extraordinarily talented and a prolific writer.
Before we go, today is national “I Love My Feet Day.” It’s a day to appreciate how valuable our feet are, to practice good foot care, and to pamper our feet. It’s Saturday—get a pedicure, you deserve it. And don’t forget to tip your pedicurist, and they’re also called nail technicians.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas. Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.
Enjoy the remainder of your Saturday, and we’ll see you right back here next time for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief. Let’s all continue to watch out for one another, and have a superb day today! Bye for now.