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Read Online  |  Nov. 12, 2024  |  E-Paper

Good morning. It’s Tuesday. Thank you for reading the Morning Brief. Send me a line—Ivan Pentchoukov.

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Former acting ICE Director Tom Homan testifies at a House hearing in front of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, in Washington on July 12, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

President-elect Donald Trump filled key roles in his incoming administration over the weekend.

Homan and Miller served in the first Trump administration and are returning with the same item at the top of their portfolio: the border.

Waltz is a hawk on communist China. Stefanik has criticized the United Nations over anti-semitism. Zeldin left Congress to pursue an unsuccessful run for New York governor.

A source close to the campaign told The Epoch Times that Trump has already named his choice for the Treasury.

If Trump continues at the current pace, he’ll have filled all his key cabinet roles by the end of the week…

READ: 8 Things to Know About Tom Homan, Trump’s New Border Czar

and …

9 Things to Know About Elise Stefanik, Trump’s Pick for UN Ambassador

More politics:

A woman fired by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan over a lack of COVID-19 vaccination has been awarded more than $12 million in damages.

What they are saying:

“Clearly, the religious accommodation process was meant to stamp out religious beliefs of employees and promote COVID-19 vaccination within the company,” Noah S. Hurwitz, an attorney representing Domski, told The Epoch Times in an email.

Blue Cross Blue Shield statement: “While Blue Cross respects the jury process and thanks the individual jurors for their service, we are disappointed in the verdict. Blue Cross is reviewing its legal options and will determine its path forward in the coming days.”

More U.S. news

Trump Says He’ll End Birth Citizenship on Day One

Currently, under U.S. law, a person is granted U.S. citizenship if they’re born in the country. Trump argues this creates an incentive for illegal immigration. Join me for the discussion. —Josh

The Kremlin has denied that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke in the days following Trump’s election win, disputing reports byin Western media outlets.

The Washington Post first reported on Nov. 10, citing anonymous sources, that Trump and Putin had spoken in recent days. The report stated that Trump had urged Putin not to escalate the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and that the two discussed ways to end the ongoing war soon.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov altogether denied the reports.

“There was no conversation,” Peskov said in remarks published by Russia’s state-sponsored TASS news agency on Nov. 11.

“This is completely untrue; it’s pure fiction.”

The Trump team did not respond to a request for comment.

More world news:

Men and Their Meat Smokers

By Jeffrey A. Tucker

People were out and about this weekend in ways I’ve not seen in years, and there was the rarest of things happening that I thought was a thing of the past. People were smiling. And laughing. And talking with each other expansively and without fear. It’s like some kind of dark cloud has been lifted, even in areas of the country that show up as blue on the voting map… (More)

Looking for a different columnist? Browse the Opinion Section ➞

Vinegar was used by the Babylonians for cooking, as a preservative, and as a medicine. Today, it is still valued for a range of health benefits:

1. Relieves Fatigue

Vinegar can help break down lactic acid buildup in the body, effectively relieving fatigue, restoring energy, and alleviating shoulder and lower back pain. A randomized clinical trial found that apple cider vinegar functions similarly to sports drinks by reducing lactic acid buildup after endurance exercise, thereby delaying muscle fatigue.

2. Promotes Glucose Metabolism

Vinegar can promote calorie burning and boost metabolic rate. Aclinical study published in Nature found that adding a bit of vinegar to foods with a high glycemic index, such as mashed potatoes, can help lower post-meal blood sugar levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes.

3. Reduces Risk of Kidney Stones

Regular vinegar consumption can increase the alkalinity of urine, lowering the risk of uric acid stones. A study published in eBioMedicine indicated that people taking 15 ml of vinegar daily had a lower risk of developing kidney stones. Urine samples showed higher pH levels, lower uric acid and calcium concentrations, and elevated citrate levels—known to suppress kidney stone formation. (More)

A detail of “The Black Brunswicker,” 1860, by John Everett Millais. (Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool)

Seventeenth-century English poet Richard Lovelace celebrated all those who go to war for love of country and honor, even when it involves painful separations.

In his poem, “To Lucasta, Going to the Wars,” the speaker seeks to console his beloved as he rides off to battle, explaining to her that his love of honor and duty does not lessen his love for her—on the contrary, these various loves complement rather than compete with one another.

It is his devotion to honor that enables him to love his lady so profoundly.

Lovelace likely wrote this poem to his fiancée Lucy Sacheverell when he was preparing to fight on behalf of the king during the English Civil Wars.

“Lucasta” is thus a kind of sobriquet for “Lucy” and a combination of the Latin words “lux” (meaning “light”) and “casta” (meaning “pure” or “chaste”).

Thus, the lady’s name suggests that she is an embodiment of “pure light.”

Enjoy the poem here:

To Lucasta, Going to the Wars

Tell me not (Sweet) I am unkind,

That from the nunnery

Of thy chaste breast and quiet mind

To war and arms I fly.

True, a new mistress now I chase

The first foe in the field;

And with a stronger faith embrace

A sword, a horse, a shield.

Yet this inconstancy is such

As you too shall adore;

I could not love thee (Dear) so much,

Lov’d I not Honor more.

Read the full analysis of the poem by writer Walker Larson here.

Spot the Difference is our readers’ favorite. Play it here.

Play more games at Epoch Fun ➞

Thanks for reading.

Have a wonderful day.

—Ivan Pentchoukov, Madalina Hubert, and Kenzi Li.

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