No images? Click here 24 August 2022Voters put abortion and threat to democracy to the testTuesday’s special congressional election in New York state is a crucial testing ground for both major parties’ political strategies around abortion. It is the first competitive Republican vs Democrat election since Roe v. Wade was overturned and maybe a bellwether for the November midterm elections. See updates here. While inflation and the cost of living dominate the issues list for voters, recent polling now indicates that Americans see the threats to democracy as the most important issue facing the country. The new survey was conducted only days after the FBI searched former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, sparking extreme reaction from his supporters and revealing a GOP divided. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) downplayed expectations of Republicans capturing control of the Senate and described “candidate quality” as an important factor, a clear criticism pointed at Trump and those he endorsed in GOP primaries which reportedly angered the former president. The president’s party almost always loses significant ground in midterm elections, but 2022 may not follow that pattern, in part, because Democrats are running against a Republican party that is trying to find consensus and a new norm. NEWS WRAPDeSantis opponent decided
I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate. Senate races are just different - they're state-wide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell | 18 August, 2022 ANALYSISIndo-Pacific partnership can help America keep its tech edgeDr Jennifer Jackett and Charles Edel Revitalising the US research and industrial base remains critical to American economic and national security. This is especially true amid sharpening geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing. But as significant as these investments into the US economy are, enhancing any one country’s industrial base is only a partial solution to the challenge of maintaining a leading edge in designing, developing and using cutting-edge technologies. US actions alone will be insufficient to protect and sustain its technological prowess. If investments into domestic industries are the first step, international co-operation between like-minded countries is the necessary next one. This article was first published in the Australian Financial Review BY THE NUMBERS United States' record R&D spendingThe recently passed CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 contains the largest investment in research and development (R&D) in US history and helps American businesses compete with China in technology and innovation. In the 1960s, the United States accounted for over two-thirds of global R&D spending. However by 2019, this share fell to about 30 per cent, with the US largely maintaining its R&D spending at 2.5 per cent of GDP for the past 20 years. Meanwhile, several of the US global tech competitors have rapidly increased their spending. Leading the charge is China, who's global share of R&D spending climbed from 4.9 per cent in 2000 to 23.9 per cent by 2019, representing 2.2 per cent of the nation’s GDP. For more information, read USSC Research Associate Victoria Cooper’s explainer here. VIDEOAmerican democracy in peril: The crucial role of the US SenateIra Shapiro's recent book, The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America, chronicles the US Senate during the Trump presidency. As a veteran scholar and former Senate staffer with bipartisan experience, Shapiro determines the Senate and its Republican members, led by Mitch McConnell (R-KY), ultimately abandoned late Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) guiding principle 'Country first'. The USSC hosted a webinar featuring Ira Shapiro and Bill Kristol, editor-at-large of The Bulwark, Director of Defending Democracy Together, former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle and one of the most incisive Republican intellectuals and commentators, in conversation with USSC CEO Dr Michael Green and Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe. Catch more podcast and video analysis on the United States here. Manage your email preferences | Forward this email to a friend United States Studies Centre |