President Biden celebrated theFourth of July with a White House cookout where he called for Americans to set aside their divisions. “The Fourth of July is a sacred day in our country — it’s a time to celebrate the goodness of our nation, the only nation on Earth founded based on an idea: that all people are created equal,” Biden tweeted. He acknowledged thatthe nation has taken “a few steps backward,” a reference to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, fear of a possible recession, recent mass shootings, tensions over hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, and other problems, but he added: “Make no mistake, our best days still lie ahead.” [Bloomberg, PBS]
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a House Jan. 6 committee member, said new witnesses have contacted the panel since former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified last week. “Every day we get new people that come forward,” Kinzinger said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. Hutchinson testified that then-President Donald Trump knew members of the crowd at a “Stop the Steal” rally before the Jan. 6 riot were armed, but called for relaxing security and urged his supporters to go to the Capitol. Another Republican on the committee, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, said Trump’s alleged comments on armed protesters were “very chilling.” Several members of the panel said the committee might refer potential criminal charges involving Trump to federal prosecutors. [The Hill, NBC News]
A gunman killed three people, including two 17-year-olds, and wounded four others in a shopping mall in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on Sunday, local police said. Officers arrested a suspect, a 22-year-old “ethnic Dane,” police said. Investigators said the suspect had a history of mental illness, and there were no indications terror was a motive. Mass shootings are rare in Denmark. When the gunman opened fire, some shoppers hid and others fled in a panic. “It is pure terror. This is awful,” said Hans Christian Stoltz, 53, who was taking his daughters to a Harry Styles that had been scheduled near the mall. [The Associated Press, BBC News]
Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said Sunday there have been civilian and police casualties during rare protests inside the Central Asian nation. An exiled opposition politician said at least five people had been killed. Uzbek authorities said 18 had died and 243 were wounded. Mirziyoyev posted online that rioters in the northwestern Karakalpakstan region’s capital, Nukus, had started fires and thrown stones. Sultanbek Ziyayev, the head of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, told a domestic news website, Daryo.uz, that thousands of people wounded in clashes with security forces had been hospitalized. [Reuters]
Four people were killed Sunday in explosions that hit the Russian city of Belgorod, just north of Ukraine. It was the deadliest such incident affecting civilians in Russia since the country invaded Ukraine in February. Ukraine has attacked fuel and military targets in Russian border regions. Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking civilians this time, saying they fired three Soviet-era missiles at the city. Russia said it shot down the missiles with air-defense systems, but one fell to the ground and exploded, causing the casualties. An adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, Anton Gerashchenko, said he suspected Russia was responsible. [The New York Times]
A chunk of an Alpine glacier broke free and crashed down an Italian mountain on Sunday, killing at least six hikers and injuring nine, authorities said. The death toll could rise as rescuers search for an estimated 15 people missing. The National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps tweeted a number for people to call if they knew of anyone who had been hiking in the area and not returned. Rescuers also checked license plates in a parking lot where people access the popular trail to the peak to determine whether more are unaccounted for. The glacier is the largest in the Dolomite mountains in northeastern Italy, and has melted rapidly in recent years. [The Associated Press]
A gunman with a high-powered rifle opened fire from a rooftop during a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, a suburb of Chicago, on Monday, killing at least six people and injuring more than two dozen others. Lake County Deputy Sheriff Chris Covelli urged people in the area to stay inside their homes immediately after the shooting, which police described as “random.” Police detained a “person of interest,” 22-year-old Robert Crimo III, after a brief manhunt, later identifying him as the suspected gunman. The attack sent parade-goers scattering, leaving behind children’s bikes, lawn chairs, and baby carriages, some decorated with American flags. [Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times]
Teenagers are at a heightened risk of cannabis addiction, but not necessarily other mental health problems associated with the drug, according to a new study. Tracking the pot use and mental health of 274 participants, including 76 teenagers, researchers found that adolescent cannabis users were “three and a half times as likely to develop severe ‘cannabis use disorder’ (addiction) than adult users,” a finding that lines up with previous research on the subject. However, the adolescent study participants were no more likely to have higher levels of subclinical depression or anxiety, or display psychotic-like symptoms, than adults who use cannabis. “There is a lot of concern about how the developing teenage brain might be more vulnerable to the long-term effects of cannabis, but we did not find evidence to support this general claim,” said lead author Dr. Will Lawn. [Science Daily]
A federal judge in West Virginia sided with three major U.S. drug distributors on Monday, ruling that they can’t be held responsible for the addiction epidemic in Cabell County. The three drug companies — AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson — distributed 81 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills to Cabell County over eight years ending in 2014 — 94 pills per person annually. The county’s lawyers argued thatthe drug distributors acted unreasonably and without regard for public health and safety during a growing opioid-fueled addiction crisis. Lawyers for the drug companies countered that they were only fulfilling orders from licensed pharmacies based on prescriptions written by doctors. U.S. District Judge David Faber agreed, saying the plaintiffs did not prove the companies violated public nuisance laws. [USA Today]
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory for Russian armed forces in the Luhansk area of eastern Ukraine a day after Ukrainian defenders withdrew from Lysychansk, the last major city they had controlled in the province. Luhansk and neighboring Donetsk province make up Ukraine’s industrial heartland of Donbas. Russian forces are now trying to push deeper into in the Donetsk region, about half of which Russia already controls, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces returned their country’s flag to Snake Island after Russian forces left the strategic outpost in the Black Sea following months of bombardment. Ukraine views control of the island as crucial to breaking a Russian naval blockade. [PBS, The Guardian]
California is facing a fast-spreading new coronavirus wave driven by the two new ultra-contagious Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5. The outbreak has pushed two-thirds of the state’s counties into the high COVID-19 community transmission level. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal masking in indoor public spaces when communities hit that level, and the California Department of Public Health has strongly advised retaining that practice since the state’s mask mandate expired in February. Los Angeles County has not imposed new rules requiring face coverings, but health officials there warn that could soon be necessary, possibly later this month. “We’re really worried,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. [Los Angeles Times]
Crude oil prices fell below $100 per barrel on Tuesday for the first time in nearly two months, before rebounding slightly early Wednesday. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate dropped by as much as 10 percent to touch a low of $97.43 before closing down 8 percent at $99.50. WTI rose 1 percent to $100.54 early Wednesday. International benchmark Brent crude closed at $102.77 after falling by more than 10 percent to a low of $101.10 a barrel. Wholesale gas futures also fell by 36 cents a gallon Tuesday, a drop of nearly 10 percent on the day. Analysts said fears of a recession, which could reduce demand for fuel, have prompted a sell-off in oil and gas futures. [CNN, Reuters]
The bond market flashed a warning sign thatthe economy could be falling into a recession, with 2-year Treasury yields rising to 2.792 percent on Tuesday, above the 10-year bond’s 2.789 percent rate. It was the third time this year that 2-year Treasury yields briefly rose above those for 10-year notes. Normally the 10-year Treasury note’s yield is higher than short-term yields, but these inversions signal economic weakening and often occur before a recession. Investors are worried thatthe Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest-rate hikes, intended to curb high inflation, could hurt growth. “There’s something afoot in investor sentiment that is difficult to ignore,” said Ian Lyngen, head of U.S. rates strategy at BMO. [CNBC, Reuters]
A Georgia grand jury investigating possible criminal interference by then-President Donald Trump and his allies in the state’s 2020 presidential election count subpoenaed Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday, The Washington Post reported, citing documents it obtained. The Fulton County special grand jury also issued subpoenas for Trump legal advisers Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, and Cleta Mitchell, all of whom participated in Trump’s effort to overturn President Biden’s victories in Georgia and other battleground states. Giuliani’s subpoena mentions his December 2020 testimony to Georgia lawmakers claiming he had evidence of widespread voter fraud. Giuliani likely has “unique knowledge” of Trump’s “multi-state, coordinated efforts” to influence the election results, the grand jury said. [The Washington Post]
After declaring victory in Ukraine’s Luhansk province, Russia has shifted the focus of its most violent assaults onto neighboring Donetsk, the other province in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Russian forces increased their shelling on the supply hub of Bakhmut and the city of Sloviansk, one of the urban centers now in the Russian Army’s path. The city’s mayor, Vadym Lyakh, urged residents to flee on Tuesday, a day after heavy shelling destroyed 40 houses. “Artillery is already hitting the city,” he said on Ukrainian television. In a Facebook post, Lyakh said one person was killed and seven wounded in strikes on the city’s central market. [The New York Times]
A Mississippi judge on Tuesday rejected a request by the state’s only abortion clinic to temporarily block a state ban on most abortions. Barring new developments, the clinic, Jackson Women’s Health Organization, plans to close at the end of business Wednesday, before the ban takes effect Thursday. “People in Mississippi who need abortions right now are in a state of panic,” said one of the clinic’s attorneys, Hillary Schneller of the Center for Reproductive Rights. Mississippi’s “trigger” law was set up to take effect when the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. [The Associated Press]
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to resign as leader of the Conservative Party but wants to stay on as prime minister until fall, British media widely reported Thursday. It wasn’t immediately clear if members of his party will let him stay that long. Johnson had resisted calls to step down over his handling of the party’s latest sex-and-bullying scandal, saying during a grilling in Parliament thata leader who has “been handed a colossal mandate” must keep going. But a wave of resignations paralyzed his government, and Cabinet members told him he had to go to restore public trust. Johnson’s decision came after a dizzying 48 hours that started when two high-ranking Cabinet members resigned Tuesday evening. [BBC, The New York Times]
A New York judge has held real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield in contempt of court for refusing to cooperate with the New York attorney general’s investigation into former President Donald Trump’s company, the Trump Organization. Judge Arthur Engoron imposed a $10,000 daily fine on Cushman & Wakefield that will start Thursday and apply every day the company fails to comply with subpoenas for information related to its business relationship with Trump’s company. “Cushman & Wakefield’s work for Donald Trump and the Trump Organization is clearly relevant to our investigation,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. Cushman & Wakefield, which provided appraisals and brokerage services to Trump’s company, said it will appeal. [ABC News, The Hill]
Pat Cipollone, who served as former President Donald Trump’s White House counsel, has agreed to be interviewed Friday by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a mob of Trump’s supporters, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The panel subpoenaed Cipollone last week, saying he was an important witness during key points in Trump’s effort to overturn his election loss to President Biden. Cipollone was present for discussions of seizing voting machines and he was in the West Wing during the Jan. 6 riot, so he could have information on Trump’s reaction. Cipollone allies have said he might limit his cooperation due to concerns about executive and attorney-client privilege. [The New York Times]
Conservationists in Mozambique are excited by the return of the rhino, an animal that became extinct locally 40 years ago. Rhinos are endangered, following decades of habitat loss and poaching, and to try to save these animals, conservation groups are relocating them to safe spaces. Once in these new areas, they will hopefully be able to breed and increase their population. The Peace Parks Foundation recently captured and sedated several black and white rhinos about 1,000 miles away from Mozambique, and then transported them to the country’s Zinave National Park. More than 2,300 other reintroduced animals live in this protected space, including elephants, and the goal is to get at least 40 more rhinos to the park within the next two years. “Rhinos are important to the ecosystem, which is one of the reasons why we’re moving them all this distance and doing all this effort to get them there,” conservationist Kester Vickery told Reuters. He said it’s his hope that 10 years from now, there will be a large population of rhinos living in Zinave. [Reuters]
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his army is just getting started with its invasion of Ukraine. Putin warned the West it would fail if it sought Russia’s defeat on the battlefield, but added that he is still open to diplomacy to settle the conflict, which Russia started in February. “We don’t reject peace talks,” Putin said. “But those who reject them should know thatthe further it goes, the harder it will be for them to negotiate with us.” Putin made the remarks as his top diplomat, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, heads into a closed-door foreign minister’s meeting at a G20 gathering in Indonesia on Friday, where he will speak with outspoken critics of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Reuters]
Boris Johnson announced Thursday that he is stepping down as Britain’s prime minister, although he plans to stay on as caretaker head of government until members of his Conservative Party pick a new leader this fall. More than 50 ministers and senior aides in his government had resigned in the previous 36 hours over Johnson’s handling of his party’s latest sex-and-bullying scandal, with many telling Johnson that leaving was the only way to restore trust in the government. Johnson, without referring to the scandal, said he would appoint a new Cabinet and keep working until a successor is chosen. That process could take months. “I want you to know how sad I am at giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks,” he said. [The Wall Street Journal]
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died Friday after being shot as he spoke at a fellow politician’s campaign event ahead of Sunday elections for the upper house of Japan’s parliament. Public broadcaster NHK reported that Abe, 67, was rushed to a hospital showing no vital signs after being hit in the neck and chest. TV footage aired by NHK showed Abe delivering a speech when a plume of smoke rose behind him, at least two gunshots rang out, and he collapsed with blood on his shirt. A suspect was arrested on attempted murder charges, and police seized a double-barrel gun that appears to be handmade. Shootings are rare in Japan, which has some of the world’s strictest gun laws. [The Washington Post, Reuters]
Basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court on Thursday. The Phoenix Mercury center said she had packed for Russia in a hurry and mistakenly brought the cannabis vape cartridges that security agents at a Moscow airport found in her bags, and she never intended to break Russian laws. The two-time Olympic gold medalist, who had been playing in Russia during the WNBA’s off-season, could face up to 10 years in prison. The next hearing in her trial is scheduled for next Thursday. President Biden assured Griner’s wife, Cherelle, that he was working to get the WNBA star released. The U.S. has classified her as wrongfully detained, and believes Russia arrested her as leverage shortly before invading Ukraine. [NPR]
The United Nations World Food Program’s director warned Thursday thata hunger catastrophe could erupt in the next two years. WFP Director Patrick Beasley called for immediate action, including the lifting of a Russian blockade preventing the shipment of 25 million tons of Ukrainian grain. The number of people the U.N. classified as “acutely food insecure” was 130 million before the coronavirus pandemic. After COVID, it increased to 276 million. “This number has increased to 345 million due to the Ukraine crisis,” Beasley said. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a global breadbasket, has caused soaring prices and shortages of basic foods. “The international community must act to stop this looming hunger catastrophe in its tracks — or these numbers will explode,” Beasley said. [The Guardian, The Irish Times]
Monarchs, presidents, and prime ministers around the world paid tribute to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after he was assassinated Friday. Queen Elizabeth II said Abe’s “love for Japan, and his desire to forge ever-closer bonds with the United Kingdom, were clear.” King Abdullah II of Jordan called Abe a “great leader” and a “true friend.” President Biden said the long-serving prime minister’s death was “a tragedy for Japan and for all who knew him.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his “deepest condolences.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared Saturday a national day of mourning for Abe, while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed him as “a giant on the world stage.” [The Associated Press]
Protesters stormed the residence of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday amid ongoing protests against a government struggling to deal with the country’s economic crisis. Rajapaksa, whose family has dominated Sri Lankan politics for much of the past two decades, was reportedly evacuated from the presidential residence the previous day. Sri Lanka is facing severe shortages of fuel, food, and medicine. Foreign exchange reserves, which could be used to buy these essentials from other countries, have dried up entirely. [The New York Times, Reuters]
President Biden on Friday signed an executive order aimed at protecting access to abortion and other reproductive health care services now thatRoe v. Wade has been overturned. Per the administration’s fact sheet, the order “builds on the actions” the White House has already taken by protecting access to abortion and contraception; guarding patient privacy; promoting safety and security for patients, providers, and clinics; and coordinating federal efforts to safeguard reproductive rights. In more specific terms, the order directs Health and Human Services to expand access to abortion pills, fortify birth control coverage under Obamacare, and organize free legal services for those that have been criminally charged for seeking out or providing an abortion. [CBS News, TheWeek]
Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of assassinating former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was reportedly motivated by his hatred of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, also known as the Unification Church. Members are sometimes referred to by a pejorative colloquialism derived from the surname of the group’s founder — the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Tetsuya Yamagami allegedly resented the Unification Church because his mother, who is a member, had become bankrupt after making donations to the group. Abe did not belong to the Unification Church, but he did give paid speeches at church-related events, and its members formed a reliable voting bloc for Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party. [The Washington Post]
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to “stand up” to Russia during a Saturday meeting in Indonesia. After the meeting, which lasted more than five hours, Blinken told reporters that Wang had repeated Chinese claims to neutrality in the war between Russia and Ukraine. “I would start with the proposition that it’s pretty hard to be neutral when it comes to this aggression. There’s a clear aggressor. There’s a clear victim,” Blinken said. The secretary of state also told reporters he had “tried to convey” to Wang “thatthis really is a moment where we all have to stand up” and condemn Russian aggression. [TheWeek, The New York Times]
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa announced Sunday that he will resign from office on Wednesday, hoping “to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.” The previous day, protesters stormed the presidential residence and opened its kitchen, library, artworks, and swimming pool to the public. Rajapaksa had already been evacuated on Friday. The president, who comes from a powerful Sri Lankan political dynasty, has been accused of mismanaging Sri Lanka’s economy as the island nation of 22 million people faces bankruptcy as well as severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicine. [The New York Times, BBC]
Democrats failed to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law because they took abortion rights “for granted,” Vice President Kamala Harris said during an interview set to air Sunday. When asked why Democratic lawmakers didn’t take action to secure abortion rights when they had the chance, Harris responded, “I think that, to be very honest with you … we certainly believed that certain issues are just settled.” She went on to say that Congress can still act to protect “the rights that, again, we took for granted.” The House is expected to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify Roe, but Democrats don’t have the votes to get it through the Senate. [Axios]
Former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone’s interview with the Jan. 6 committee revealed new “information demonstrating [former President] Donald Trump’s supreme dereliction of duty,” the committee said in a statement Saturday. Cipollone sat for an eight-hour private interview on Friday, during which he was reportedly asked detailed questions about pardons, claims of election fraud, and Trump’s campaign to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence into overturning the results of the 2020 election. “”In our interview with Mr. Cipollone, the Committee received critical testimony on nearly every major topic in its investigation, reinforcing key points regarding Donald Trump’s misconduct,” said committee spokesperson Tim Mulvey. Cipollone was not asked to corroborate the details of Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony. [NBC News, The New York Times]
With Boris Johnson stepping down as prime minister of the United Kingdom, Britain’s Conservatives must choose a new leader for their party and their country. Candidates include Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Attorney General Suella Braverman, Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat, former Health Secretary Sajid Javid, former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is touting himself as the “only major candidate” who did not serve in Johnson’s government. Former Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt has not officially entered the race, but polling suggests that plenty of Tories are hoping she will. [BBC, NBC News]
A joint effort of several authors who do find that nobody can keep standing at the side and that “Everyone" must care about what is going on in today’s world.
We are a bunch of people who do not mind that somebody has a totally different idea but is willing to share the ideas with others and to be Active and willing to let others understand how "today’s decisions will influence the future”. Therefore we would love to see many others to "Act today".
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3 thoughts on “In the picture for 2022 July 04 – July 10 by The Week”
Some View on the World 
3 thoughts on “In the picture for 2022 July 04 – July 10 by The Week”