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21 JULY
A 'pandemic of the unvaccinated'
Vaccine hesitancy has climbed back into the headlines this week as the Delta variant of COVID-19 sweeps across both Australia and the United States. In the latest nationwide YouGov survey, the United States Studies Centre’s Dr Shaun Ratcliff found Australians aged 18 to 29 had the most opposition to vaccinations, with “a third of 18 to 29 year-olds saying they “will not get vaccinated” (11 per cent) or were “not sure about getting vaccinated” (22 per cent).”
With cases of COVID-19 tripling in the United States over the past three weeks, and mandatory mask rules reintroduced to parts of California, the president reiterated the 'pandemic of the unvaccinated' label from the CDC director, saying “the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated.” Facing a similar dilemma of hesitancy among the nation’s younger people, this week the president joined forces with 18-year-old pop star Olivia Rodrigo to spread the message that vaccines are safe and effective.
NEWS WRAP
Hack to the future
All bark, no bite? | The United States and several allies, including Australia, formally blamed Beijing for a large-scale hack of tens of thousands of Microsoft email servers earlier this year. While the Biden administration insists they are not 'holding back,' Biden has been criticised for treading too softly and failing to follow up the accusation with sanctions. READ MORE HERE
Hot under the (blue) collar | Last week, the European Union’s announcement of a potential carbon border adjustment tax highlighted a rift in the north Atlantic’s ‘climate alliance.’ The Biden administration is concerned tough tariffs, like those proposed by the EU, will put heavy-emitting American industries at odds with the administration’s broader climate agenda and harm American workers. READ MORE HERE
NS-Uh-O | Phones belonging to state leaders, journalists and human rights activists are among the thousands of devices tapped with spyware, the Washington Post reported this week. The Israeli NSO Group, contracted by some governments to monitor crime, used its Pegasus technology to spy on 50,000 phones across over 50 countries. While the technology is not used within the US, several Washington heavyweights are beneficiaries of the company, and the issue raised questions about the security of Apple devices. READ MORE HERE
Fire vortexes | The Bootleg Fire that has been burning for two weeks in southern Oregon is now the largest wildfire faced by the United States this year. The Pacific northwest is, once again, ravaged by a ‘heat dome’ with much of the west coast facing temperatures 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit (11-16 degrees Celsius) above average and reduced air quality from the spread of fires. READ MORE HERE
This Delta variant is no joke. Get vaccinated.
Vice President Kamala Harris
Via Twitter | 19 July 2021
ANALYSIS
Silence of the Trump
Why the ex-president's class action lawsuit is doomed
Bruce Wolpe
Non-Resident Senior Fellow
It is a shame former US president Trump did not study the Constitution he swore an oath to "preserve, protect, and defend" when he assumed office on 20 January 2017. Sure enough, when under investigation as to whether he was faithful to that oath, he declared he had the right, under Article II, "to do whatever I want as president."
No.
He was impeached twice because of that mistaken belief: in 2019, for corrupting the exercise of his foreign policy powers by pressuring Ukraine to take down a political opponent, Joe Biden, then the Democratic frontrunner in the presidential race; and in 2021, for seeking the disruption of the final process of Congress certifying the presidential election, which would have undermined the peaceful transfer of power - a hallmark of American democracy - to the new president.
Trump is similarly on the slippery slope of delusion that Twitter and Facebook have denied him his constitutional First Amendment free speech rights - that he cannot be silenced on those platforms, and that they acted illegally when they shut down the social media feeds of the sitting president in the wake of the insurrection he incited against the Capitol on January 6.
This is an excerpt from an article by Bruce Wolpe. It was first published in the Canberra Times. Click below to read the full write-up.
BY THE NUMBERS
Strong correlation: Vaccination rate and Biden voters
Sarah Hamilton
Research Associate for Data Insights
Vaccination rates per state in the United States and the share of votes for Biden in last year's Presidential election share a strong correlation (correlation coefficient = 0.76). Vermont has the current highest rate of vaccination at 66.5 per cent and behind DC it had the highest share of votes for Biden with 66 per cent of the state voting blue.
Alabama and Mississippi have the lowest rates of the population fully vaccinated at 33.3 and 33.4 per cent respectively. During last year's presidential election, both states fell to Trump with 36.6 per cent of Alabaman's and 41 per cent
of Mississippians voting for Biden.
VIDEO
US Politics and Policy Web Series
Did you miss the latest webinar from our US Politics and Policy Web Series? This month, United States Studies Centre CEO Professor Simon Jackman and Perth USAsia Centre CEO Professor Gordon Flake were joined by special guests Dr Victoria A. Farra-Myers, who currently serves on the Arlington City Council, District 7 in Texas as well as Professor Valerie Hudson, the George H.W. Bush Chair in the Department of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.
The full event replay is now available to stream. Tune in HERE.
Catch this and other recent webinars on the USSC YouTube channel!
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United States Studies Centre
Institute Building H03
University of Sydney NSW 2006
