Read Online  |  Dec. 20, 2024  |  E-Paper

It’s Friday. Thank you for reading Morning Brief.

P.S. What do you think of today’s newsletter? Send us your feedback here.

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Dec. 19, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

The House voted down a pared-down, Trump-backed plan to fund the government with just more than 24 hours until a government shutdown begins.

Democrats, who have historically backed government funding measures, objected to the withdrawal of the original proposal that emerged from weeks of bicameral negotiations. Several Republicans objected to the inclusion of a provision to raise the debt ceiling as well as new spending in the bill.

The bill’s failure leaves the next steps unclear. The government is set to go into a shutdown at 12:01 a.m. ET on Dec. 21.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) may now bring the bill to the Rules Committee, which would mean a simple majority vote on the floor if the panel clears it. However, it is not clear whether the Rules Committee will advance the bill, given that Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), both members of the panel, have indicated their opposition. (More)

More Politics

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported more illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2024 than it has in almost a decade.

An estimated 11 million illegal immigrants arrived in the country under the Biden administration’s open border policy.

Trump and his incoming border czar, Tom Homan, have promised to launch a mass deportation campaign to remove millions of illegal immigrants, starting with criminals or those with deportation orders.

Illegal immigration became one of the top issues during the 2024 presidential race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

According to the 2024 report, of the 271,484 removals, 237 were known or suspected terrorists, 3,706 were known or suspected gang members, and 88,763 had criminal histories.

The countries with the highest number of deportations from the United States were Mexico, 87,298; Guatemala, 66,435; Honduras, 45,923; and El Salvador, 15,284. (More)

More U.S. News

Underwater drone operators have reportedly found drag marks in the Baltic seabed that overlap with the path of a Chinese vessel that transited the waterway when two undersea telecommunications cables were damaged last month.

Danish defense official Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen identified the drag marks along the Chinese ship’s course as the potential imprint of an anchor, TV2 reported.

Swedish and Danish coast guard and naval forces closed in on the Chinese vessel after underwater cables were damaged on Nov. 17 and Nov. 18. (More)

More World News:

—

Interview: Sebastian Gorka: How the Trump Admin Will Tackle Terrorism and National Security Threats (Watch on EpochTV)

Documentary: A Woman Named Jackie chronicles the extraordinary life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, from her role as the first lady to her legacy as a cultural and fashion icon. (Watch freeon Ganjing World)

Opinion: CCP’s Cultural Genocide Aimed at Falun Gong, Shen Yun: Part 1 by Stu Cvrk

Health: Used for centuries and referred to as a ‘medicine chest’ by Hippocrates, elderberry can reduce cold and flu duration and may help with chronic disease.

Inspiration: Christmas often feels more like an exhausting marathon of shopping, parties, and to-do lists, leaving little room for a sense of wonder and joy. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Photo of the Day: A woman plays an accordion while guarded by her dog wearing reindeer horns, as they collect donations at the Mariahilfer street in the Austrian capital of Vienna, on Dec. 19, 2024.

Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images

Our photography editors comb through the best images in the world every day. See their picks for today here ➞

The Trapp Family Singers in 1941. (Courtesy of Trapp Family Lodge)

The holiday season brings an intangible warm and fuzzy feeling. In German, they actually have a word for it: “gemütlichkeit.”

This “gemütlichkeit” is especially palpable in “The Sound of Music,” one of the most successful movie musicals of all time.

The 1965 film is based on the memoir of Baroness Maria von Trapp, iconically portrayed by Julie Andrews.

“Gemütlichkeit” is also a philosophy that Maria von Trapp’s grandchildren Sam von Trapp and Kristina von Trapp Frame use as guideposts in managing the family’s Austrian-inspired Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.

“It means warm, cozy, professional, but not pretentious hospitality,” Kristina said in a recent interview. “So that’s really the goal of us inviting people to come here to enjoy it.”

A family participates in caroling during the Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

“Singing is also always a big part of the holiday,” said Sam. “For our family, having been professional singers, on Christmas Eve, when we sing with our guests, that’s just a really pure, fun evening for everyone.”

The siblings also explained that the family’s story portrayed in “The Sound of Music” is mostly correct, though many of the details are not accurate.

“We often joked that the personalities of our grandfather and grandmother in the movie could have been switched,” Sam said, drawing a laugh from his sister.

“She was the tough one and he was a bit more of the teddy bear in real life.”

Read the full story by our colleague Cary Dunst 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.

Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here.

Have feedback? Write to us here.

Copyright © 2024 The Epoch Times, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is: The Epoch Times. 229 W. 28 St. Fl. 7 New York, NY 10001 | Contact Us

Our Morning Brief newsletter is one of the best ways to catch up with the news. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, unsubscribe here.