USA OUTLOOK
July 29 TO August 02
Biden to announce plans to reform US supreme court
Joe Biden will announce plans to reform the US supreme court on Monday, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, adding that the US president was likely to back term limits for justices and an enforceable code of ethics.
Biden said earlier this week during an Oval Office address that he would call for reform of the court.
He is also expected to seek a constitutional amendment to limit immunity for presidents and some other officeholders, Politico reported, in the aftermath of a July supreme court ruling that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution.
Biden will make the announcement in Texas on Monday and the specific proposals could change, the report added.
Justice Elena Kagan on Thursday became the first member of the supreme court to call publicly for beefing up its new ethics code by adding a way to enforce it.
US calls on Venezuelan government to release specific data on election
The United States is calling on the Venezuelan government to “immediately” release specific data regarding its presidential election, citing concerns about the credibility of strongman leader Nicolas Maduro’s victory.
Senior Biden administration officials on Monday said Venezuelan election authorities must release the “detailed precinct level results” from the election. One senior administration official noted that this data is required under Venezuela law and should be immediately available. Another said that if the election results are credible, “then this should be a very simple act and one that they would be able to fulfill quite easily.”
“If there is resistance to providing that additional information, then I think that becomes highly problematic when it comes to the ability of the United States or other members of the international community to judge whether these elections were in fact inclusive and credible,” the second official said.
https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/26/biden-to-announceplans-to-reform-us-supreme
Photo: Fernando Vergara/AP
Photo: Evan Vucci/AFP/Getty Images
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United States Provides Additional $2 Million USD to Support Hurricane Beryl Recovery in Eastern Caribbean
The U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced an additional $2 million in funding to support recovery efforts in the Eastern Caribbean following the devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl. The hurricane caused significant damage across Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The USAID assistance will focus on supporting regional economic resilience and revitalization/recovery, particularly in the fisheries, agriculture, and informal business sectors, and Micro-, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The announcement was made at the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in St. George’s, Grenada.
How is Team USA faring in the Olympics?
Here's a medal count so far
The Paris Olympics are indeed in full swing with nearly 7,000 athletes from 206 delegations vying for bronze, silver, and of course, gold.
As of Thursday evening, Team USA has won 37 medals. Other teams to reach double-digits in medals are France with 27; China, 24; Great Britain 20; Australia 18; and Japan 16; Italy, 16; and South Korea with 12.
While the U.S. may have the most medals so far, the rankings for gold medals are a different story.
China leads the way with 11. The United States, which only had five gold medals yesterday, now comes in second after China, at nine. Host nation France ties with Japan and Australia at eight gold medals each. Great Britain and South Korea are tied with six gold medals each.
Souce: https://www.npr.org/2024/07/29/nx-s1-5055102/team-usa-medal-count-olympics2024
Photo: Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty
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AP Decision Notes: What to Expect in Washington State's Primaries
Five months after holding its presidential primaries, Washington state is looking further down the ticket and selecting candidates to compete for federal and state offices in November
A handful of retirements — most notably those of third-term Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer and Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers — have injected some excitement into primaries for this left-leaning state.
The governor's race has drawn a crowded field, with 28 candidates, including the state's current attorney general, Bob Ferguson. That figure doesn’t include two additional Democratic candidates also named Bob Ferguson, both recruited by a conservative activist, who withdrew from the ballot shortly after filing. The short-lived gag hasn’t seemed to take the wind out of Attorney General Ferguson’s sails, as he’s raised more than $8.6 million — more than double the next-best funded candidate.
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https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2024-08-02/ap-decision-notes-what-to-expect-in-washington-states-primaries
Photo: Ted S. Warren