Welcome to the weekly world briefing, a Tuesday feature to help you stay up to date with major happenings around the globe. It’s part of our effort to help our readers #BeaBetterTraveler. Come across something you think should be added to next week’s briefing? Send it to us on Twitter.
North/Central America
It’s Election Day in Ohio, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington. Primary Election Day, that is. These are some heated races, and could be a sign of what’s to come in November. In Ohio, a Democrat hasn’t won in the 12th Congressional District since the 1980s, but in today’s special election Democrat Danny O’Connor just might beat Republican Troy Balderson despite campaign appearances by Trump and Pence, and lots of Republican money.
In Michigan, the governor’s race is close on both sides. Republican Governor Rick Snyder is retiring with very low approval ratings thanks to the Flint water crisis, and Attorney General Bill Schuette and Lt. Governor Brian Calley are fighting for his seat on the Republican side. Meanwhile, State Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer and Abdul El-Sayed (who if he won would be the country’s first Muslim governor) are just a few percentage points apart on the Democratic side. Michigan will also vote on a Senate seat, which appears to be safe for Democrats, and House seats, some of which are toss-ups.
In Missouri, Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill will most likely face Attorney General Josh Hawley, the favorite in today’s Republican primaries, come November. The more interesting measure on the ballot today is Proposition A, a right-to-work referendum which would prohibit unions from requiring fees as condition for employment.
In Kansas, Democrats have a rare chance to flip the Second Congressional District. There are seven Republicans running for the seat, and two Democrats, including former state Representative Paul Davis, who won the district in an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2014. Still, Cook Political Report rates the district R+10. In the Third Congressional District, seven Democrats are running in hopes to unseat incumbent Representative Kevin Yoder. Brent Welder, a former Bernie Sanders staffer, has received campaign support from Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and is hoping Sanders-style progressivism can work in a red state. Perhaps most interesting though, is the race for governor. Current Governor Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach are leading on the Republican side of the ballot. Kobach has close ties to Trump and hardline views on anti-immigration. ProPublica reported on how he convinced towns to pass harsh anti-immigration ordinances, then defended them in court to make a profit. He also made providing proof of citizenship while voting a priority, something a court overturned in June as unconstitutional. While he’s expected to win the Republican nomination, some are worried his positions could push voters toward Democrats in November. On the Democrat side, State Senator Laura Kelly, former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, and former Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Josh Svaty are running. Kelly is in the lead, though past backing of voter ID laws has put her under scrutiny. Meanwhile, Svaty is taking a populist turn and trying to win rural voters by combining liberal positions on Medicaid expansion, among other things, with conservative ones like opposing abortion. Brewer, a mainstream liberal, would be Kansas’s first black governor and could be the best bet in a general election. Five Thirty Eight has more.
And in Washington, which has a top-two primary system, there are races in the 3rd, 5th, and 8th Congressional Districts. The 3rd district is heavily Republican, but could shift left. Similarly, the 5th has gone from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican” over on Cook Political Report. The 8th is a toss-up. State Senator Dino Rossi will most likely take one of the top seats for the Republicans, while former prosecutor Jason Rittereiser, pediatrician Kim Schrier, doctor Shannon Hader, and IT specialist Robert Hunziker battle it out for the Democrats. The 8th is a Republican held district that Clinton won in 2016.
Americans can expect more short-term health care plans this fall due to new options presented by the Trump administration. But insurance companies caution many of the new plans may not be available until 2019, and some plans will have higher deductibles than people are used to. The general advice for those looking for new plans this November seems to be, “look carefully and read the fine print.”
Another Trump announcement this week is expected to result in long legal battles with the nation’s largest state, California. The new proposal calls for a freeze on Obama-era vehicle fuel efficiency standards, while banning states such as California from introducing more stringent regulations. Automakers are wary of any changes that may result in varying regulations by state.
With hundreds of migrant children still separated from their families, and many more migrants lining up at the U.S.-Mexico border every day, some activist groups are taking matters into their own hands. Angry Tias and Abuelas, Grannies Respond, and the Veterans Service Corps (which you may remember from Standing Rock) are all making it their mission to help those at the border. This piece from the Independent highlights some of these efforts.
Clashes between Nicaraguan protesters and the government continued this week as the Nicaraguan Association for Human Rights was forced to temporarily cease operations. Several staff members reported receiving death threats prompting some to leave the country. Doctors, professors, and others have also reported being fired or threatened for anti-government rhetoric.
South America
Some Venezuelans are nervous the government will crack down on opposition movements following a drone explosion at a rally led by President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro has detained six people suspected to be involved in the explosion. Venezuela has seen increasing unrest in recent years due to severe economic issues including food shortages and hyperinflation.
Europe
In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is working hard to advance his nationalist agenda. Since taking office in 2010 he has advanced his illiberal agenda thanks to few checks on his rule. He passed a law criminalizing organizations or people who assist undocumented migrants, Hungary’s judicial independence is in question, and loyalists have taken control of news channels.
It’s not just Hungary that’s facing a wave of illiberalism. Eastern Europe as a whole has seen backlash on liberal ideals. Foreign Affairs has this explanation:
“Why has democracy declared war on liberalism most openly in eastern Europe? The answer lies in the peculiar nature of the revolutions of 1989, when the states of eastern Europe freed themselves from the Soviet empire. Unlike previous revolutions, the ones in 1989 were concerned not with utopia but with the idea of normality—that is, the revolutionaries expressed a desire to lead the type of normal life already available to people in western Europe. Once the Berlin Wall fell, the most educated and liberal eastern Europeans became the first to leave their countries, provoking major demographic and identity crises in the region. And as the domestic constituencies for liberal democracy immigrated to the West, international actors such as the EU and the United States became the face of liberalism in eastern Europe, just as their own influence was waning. This set the stage for the nationalist revolt against liberalism seizing the region today.”
Meanwhile, this week Denmark banned the niqab–a face veil worn by a minority of Muslim women. Belgium and France have passed similar laws under the pretense of preserving European culture. In this essay, a Danish Muslim woman rebukes the law and promises to continue wearing her niqab in public.
The Middle East
The United States reimposed economic sanctions against Iran that were lifted in 2015 as part of a nuclear agreement. The move is part of President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the international deal that would have limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for reducing strain on the country’s economy. The sanctions could hurt Iran and put pressure on the government, but could also hinder relations between the US and European allies.
Yemenis are facing the possibility of the country’s worst cholera outbreak yet. Last year, amid continuing conflict, cholera claimed 2,000 lives. Now the disease is back, while Saudi-led air strikes on rebel-held areas of Yemen have only increased. This week, the UN launched a campaign to vaccinate 500,000 people in the port city of Hudaydah.
After Canada criticized Saudi Arabia for arresting women’s rights activists, the Middle Eastern kingdom ceased “all new business” with Canada and expelled the country’s ambassador. The move sends a message to Western nations that Saudi Arabia will not tolerate outside criticism of domestic policies. Canada receives 10 percent of its imported crude oil from Saudi Arabia.
Central and South Asia
In Bangladesh, student protests that began with calls for better road safety have morphed into something more political. Bangladeshi authorities have responded to the peaceful protests with tear gas, rubber bullets, and even temporarily shutting down mobile internet access. The crackdown has only energized young activists, who are protesting factors such as “the looting of the banks, the gagging of the media, the extrajudicial killings, disappearings, bribery and corruption.”
At least 39 people were killed at a Shiite mosque in Afghanistan this week. The Taliban has denied any involvement. The first half of 2018 was the deadliest six months for Afghan civilians in at least a decade. Last week, the U.S. met directly with the Taliban for the first time since their regime was toppled in 2001. Afghanistan is planning parliamentary and presidential elections for October 2018 and April 2019 respectively.
East/Southeast Asia
At least 105 people are dead after an earthquake on the Indonesian island of Lombok. This photo essay by the Guardian provides a glimpse into the devastation, the relief efforts, and the attempts to evacuate many from the island.
Africa
An important investigation by Vice faults the White House for its indirect role in a surge of violence in central Africa: “What happened in the far east of the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this year was a slaughter in silence. The wave of massacres was ignored by the world, and the humanitarian crisis that followed was amplified by international neglect. The Trump administration’s ‘America First’ agenda played no small part in this disaster; an abrupt change to U.S. support for peacekeeping efforts in 2017 contributed to the constellation of catastrophes that enabled hundreds of machete-wielding militiamen to kill with impunity and cause immense suffering to hundreds of thousands of women, children and men.”
Emmerson Mnangagwa is the first Zimbabwean president not named Robert Mugabe since 1980. In a bloody election that Mnangagwe’s primary opponent Nelson Chamisa has deemed fraudulent, Mnangagwe won 50.8 percent of the vote. Security officials mortally wounded six protesters in a clash while awaiting results. The United States and European Union have indicated if the elections are seen as “free and fair,” sanctions may be lifted and International Monetary Fund loans may be available to the South African nation, which has endured some of the worst hyperinflation in modern history.
South Sudanese rebels have signed a peace deal with the government that outlines a plan for a democratic state. As part of the deal, rebel leader Riek Machar will be restored as a presidential deputy. A five-year conflict in South Sudan has forced 4 million people to flee the country, many to neighboring Uganda. The South Sudanese capital of Juba celebrated the peace deal Sunday night.
Oceania
Australia is now a “land of drought” according to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The reality means drastically shifting how the country farms and plans its water usage.
Other
In other climate change news, did you know it was almost prevented 20 years ago?
French chef Joël Robuchon died on Monday. He was the most Michelin-starred chef in history, was once named “chef of the century,” and was known for classic French cooking in an age of modernity.
