Good morning. It’s Tuesday. Thank you for reading the Morning Brief. Send me a line—Ivan Pentchoukov.
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- The Cabinet: President-elect Trump filled some of the biggest slots in his cabinet over the weekend and on Monday. Scroll down for details.
- Mandate Backfire: A woman fired by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan over a COVID-19 vaccination has been awarded more than $12 million in damages.
- No, He Didn’t: 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.
- Selective Hurricane Response: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has called for the state’s attorney general to investigate whether FEMA discriminated against Trump-supporting Tennesseans.
- Patriotism and Honor: On Veterans Day, our columnist, Walker Larson, looked at a 17th-century poem about love and patriotism. Story below.
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Ivan Pentchoukov,
National Editor
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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)
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President-elect Donald Trump filled key roles in his incoming administration over the weekend.
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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:
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- President Joe Biden delivered his final Veterans Day address at Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, praising the men and women who served and their families for their sacrifice.
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has begun the process of selecting a replacement for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance.
- All three of the leading candidates for Senate majority leader have said they will honor President-elect Donald Trump’s request to make appointments when the Senate is in recess.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not allowed Senate candidate Dave McCormick to attend an orientation for new senators, saying the votes are still being counted in his race against incumbent Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.). The Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ called the race for McCormick days ago.
- Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) said on Monday that he is withdrawing his name from consideration as President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for attorney general.
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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.
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- A jury on Nov. 8 awarded Lisa Domski, a former employee of the company, $10 million in punitive damages.
- Jurors also awarded $1 million in non-economic damages, $1.375 million in front pay damages, and $315,000 in back pay damages.
- Jurors said that Blue Cross Blue Shield illegally discriminated against Domski when the company denied her request for an exemption from its policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination.
- The company also illegally terminated Domski over the lack of COVID-19 vaccination, the jury found.
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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
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- Washington state voters approved a ballot initiative that preserves natural gas as an option for homes and businesses across the Evergreen State.
- Administration has launched an investigation into potential engine failures affecting over 1.4 million Honda and Acura vehicles.
- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee calls for the state’s attorney general to investigate whether FEMA discriminated against Trump-supporting Tennesseans.
- Gold prices saw a steep decline last week amid the election of a new American president, a strengthening dollar, and the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts.
- John Pierce, a lawyer who has represented more than 50 clients who were charged in relation to the U.S. Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021, says he thinks a “blanket pardon” is coming. Trump–Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the president-elect “will make pardon decisions on a case-by-case basis.”
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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
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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:
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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 ➞
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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)
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A detail of “The Black Brunswicker,” 1860, by John Everett Millais. (Lady Lever Art Gallery, Liverpool)
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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.
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Have a wonderful day.
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