NEWS WRAP

Attack mars Independence Day holiday

• Mass shooting follows gun-control laws | The casualty toll from the Independence Day parade shooting in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, stands at seven people dead and at least 46 wounded. Police arrested the suspected 21-year-old gunman, who they say planned the attack for weeks. The latest incident follows the police shooting of a Black man 60 times in Akron, Ohio and is the first to come to national attention since the passage of the first major gun safety legislation in a generation. READ MORE HERE
   
• US climate goals under question | The Supreme Court ruling to limit the Environment Protection Agency's (EPA) authority to reduce emissions from coal power plants has climate activists worried about whether the Biden administration can reach its climate goals. The court voted 6-3 in favour of West Virginia, which brought the case forward on behalf of 19 other states and is consistent with other rulings overriding federal powers. READ MORE HERE
   
• Brown Jackson sworn-in as new Supreme Court justice | Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn-in as the newest member of the US Supreme Court, becoming the first Black woman to serve on the nation's highest court. She will join the court when it returns from the summer break to rule on a voting rights case seeking to block state courts from weighing in on federal election results. READ MORE HERE
   
• Biden: Invasion will not end with Ukraine defeat | President Joe Biden vowed at the recent NATO summit that Russia's invasion of Ukraine “will not end with a Russian defeat of Ukraine.” Russia captured the city of Lysychansk last weekend and now controls the whole Luhansk region. READ MORE HERE
   
• Chinese state media attack Albanese over US support | Chinese state media took aim at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for "eagerly jumping on the US bandwagon and drumming up support for its containment policy against China". The China Daily accused Albanese of "ignorance" declaring that chances of a reset between Beijing and Canberra are rapidly diminishing. READ MORE HERE

A Documentary History of the United States with Alexander Heffner

In an age dominated by terms like fake news and disinformation, what are the facts about the history of the United States? In the updated edition of A Documentary History of the United States, Alexander Heffner revisits primary sources to tell the unvarnished history of the United States – compiling the key documents, speeches, letters, tweets and Supreme Court decisions from the Declaration of Independence to Articles of Impeachment against Donald J. Trump following the January 6 insurrection.

What do we learn from examining these primary sources? Which documents are critical to understand the pandemic and its impact on the United States? What significance do these primary source documents have for Australia?

To discuss these issues, please join us for a webinar event featuring co-author and host of The Open Mind on PBS Alexander Heffner.

WHEN:
SYDNEY | Thursday, 7 July 2022 | 10:00-11:00am AEST
WASHINGTON DC | Wednesday, 6 July 2022 | 8-9:00pm EDT

COST:
Free but registration is essential.

You can also subscribe to have event invitations and reminders sent straight to your inbox, so you never have to miss an event!

ANALYSIS

Ukraine conflict keeps NATO's focus close to home

Dr Gorana Grgic
Senior Lecturer at the United States Studies Centre

The 2022 Strategic Concept is the culmination of NATO’s self-reflection, and it stands in sharp contrast to the last time the alliance engaged in such an exercise 12 years ago. Last week’s NATO summit will be remembered as historic for a number of reasons, most of all for having unveiled the new Strategic Concept for the Alliance that was said to be searching for purpose.

The Madrid summit showed that NATO found its purpose in its “factory settings” of defence and deterrence on its eastern borders. Therefore, the promise of the deepening partnership with Australia and three other partners from the region will largely depend on the security developments in the Euro-Atlantic area.

The fact the Indo-Pacific region received a mention for the very first time in NATO’s strategic communication, and Australia got called upon as a partner that will be crucial in enacting the Alliance’s strategic ambitions, should not be underestimated. Yet, it needs to be properly contextualised.

First published in the Australian Financial Review

BY THE NUMBERS

Domestic challenges add to citizen concerns

Only 38 per cent of US adults last month said they are "extremely proud" to be American representing the lowest number of proud Americans since Gallup polling began in 2001. This record-low level of extreme national pride comes at a challenging time when the nation is experiencing the highest inflation rate in more than four decades. 

VIDEO

What's next for NATO in the Indo-Pacific?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February altered the European security architecture for generations to come and this issue was a key focus at the recent NATO Madrid summit where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined world leaders including President Joe Biden.

In May this year, the United States Studies Centre hosted a webinar discussion on NATO's future direction in the Indo-Pacific with USSC Senior Lecturer in US Politics and Foreign Policy Dr Gorana Grgic in conversation with USSC CEO Dr Michael Green.  

Catch more analysis on the United States on the USSC YouTube channel.

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

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