Weekly Recap: Jul 13th - 19th
A recap of the big political stories affecting the United States this past week.
Israel struck several targets in Yemen linked to Houthi rebels who have been launching attacks against Israel for months. Israel’s defense systems stopped the Houthi attacks until this week when one Houthi drone got through on Friday, killing one person in Tel Aviv and injuring ten others. Israel's retaliatory strike targeted fuel storage facilities and a power station.
Back in January and February, US and UK forces also struck Houthi targets within Yemen in response to continued attacks by Houthis against ships traveling the Red Sea. The Houthis, who receive funding, supplies, and training from Iran, increased their attacks following the start of the war in Gaza. Hamas, which started the war by launching a horrific terrorist attack against Israeli civilians, is also supported by Iran.
Russia continues to attack civilian targets within Ukraine, destroying a playground this week, which follows on the heels of a recent attack on a children’s hospital.
Meanwhile, Ukraine succeeded in forcing Russia to pull all of its ships from the Black Sea, with the final ship leaving this past week.
Despite having no Navy, Ukraine has led a successful campaign against Russian ships using drones and anti-ship missiles. Over half of Russia’s warships have been damaged or destroyed. After Ukraine had taken out 26 Russian ships in October of last year, Russia pulled its Black Sea fleet from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, which was further from Ukraine's forces. In response, Ukraine developed longer-range drones and continued their assault.
Trump chose his running mate this week, settling on Senator J. D. Vance. Instead of selecting a vice president who could expand the appeal of the ticket, Vance is another white male Republican who holds positions not only aligned with Trump but that are even more extreme. Vance supports a total national abortion ban without exemptions for rape or incest, supports abandoning Ukraine to Russia, and is fully onboard with Project 2025.
This past week, the GOP convention made Trump the official Republican nominee for President. Despite the discussion of promoting unity after the assassination attempt against Trump, Republican speakers primarily relied on the same divisive language that MAGA always has. Trump started his acceptance speech slowly and quietly before going off script and promoting many of the conspiracies he routinely uses on the campaign trail.
Texas Representative Sheila Jackson Lee passed away while battling pancreatic cancer. An outpouring of condolences and remembrances of her long career came from both sides of the aisle following the announcement.
With a career dedicated to promoting civil rights, Jackson Lee was the lead sponsor of the legislation that made Juneteenth a national holiday and supported bills for both police and prison reform. Jackson Lee also brought forward the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, signed by President Biden in 2022.