July Current Events 2023: U.S. News
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The world is a very busy place, and it's hard to stay on top of everything. Infoplease has got you covered. Here are the U.S. news events you need to know so far for July 2023.
- President Biden's Loan Forgiveness Blocked By The Supreme Court
- Mass Shooting In Baltimore Leaves Two People Dead And Several Others Injured
- Gunman Killed Four In Philadelphia, Leaving Two Children Injured
- Dividend Increased By Bank Of America By 9%, After Fed Stress Test
- Gunman Who Killed 23 People In Walmart Gets Multiple Life Sentences
- Tennessee’s Ban Of Care For Transgender Youth Reinstated By Court
- Department Of Justice Says Trump Is No Longer Entitled To Immunity
- Six-Week Abortion Ban Passed By Iowa Legislature
- $39bn In Student Loan Canceled By President Biden
- House Passes Defense Bill, Which Authorizes Record Spending
- Edward Caban Appointed As The First Hispanic Police Commissioner In New York City
- Federal Judge Rejects Donald Trump’s Request For A New Trial
- Trial For Document Case Against Donald Trump Set For May 2024
- A New Office Launched By White House, To Be Directed By Retired General
- Texas Sued By Federal Authority Concerning Floating Barrier In Rio Grande River
- President Biden’s Border Asylum Restriction Blocked By Federal Judge
President Biden's Loan Forgiveness Blocked By The Supreme Court
Photo Source: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Saturday, July 1, 2023 – The Biden administration suffered a huge setback when the supreme court handed him the President a defeat, blocking his plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt. The move by the president is expected to benefit 43 million Americans and fulfill his campaign promise.
The supreme court sided with six states, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Carolina. These conservative-leaning states objected to President Biden’s loan forgiveness. The ruling affected borrowers of about 26 million people who applied for relief after the president announced his plan in August 2022.
President Biden said at the White House that the decision made by the supreme court closed a path, but he is willing to pursue another. The president announced that he plans to take steps under the Higher Education Act.
Source: Reuters
Mass Shooting In Baltimore Leaves Two People Dead And Several Others Injured
Photo Source: AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Sunday, July 2, 2023 – Police confirmed that two people had been killed and 28 others injured in a mass shooting in Baltimore. Three people are said to be in critical condition. Acting commissioner of the Baltimore police department, Richard Worley, during a press conference at the scene, that there was a total of 30 victims. The police are still in search of the shooter.
Hundreds of people gathered in the area for an event called Brooklyn Day. All the victims of the shooting were confirmed to be adults. Nine were taken by ambulance, and 20 others walked into area hospitals with injuries sustained from the shooting.
Mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott, passed a message to the people responsible for the shooting and told them he would not stop until they were apprehended.
Source: The Guardian
Gunman Killed Four In Philadelphia, Leaving Two Children Injured
Photo Source: AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Tuesday, July 4, 2023 – Four people were killed and two children injured when a man wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire in southwestern Philadelphia before the police apprehended him. According to the police, another person who investigators believed picked up a gun and returned fire is also in custody.
Commissioner for police in Philadelphia, Danielle M. Outlaw, said, “The police have no idea why the shooting happened, but he said he was grateful that the officers were on the scene and responded as quickly as they did.”
The police released the names of the detainees and those who were shot immediately. Outlaw said the two children who were injured are stable. The first suspect is confirmed to be a 40-year-old man who was in possession of an AR-style rifle and a handgun.
Source: CNN
Dividend Increased By Bank Of America By 9%, After Fed Stress Test
Photo Source: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 – The Bank of America (BofA) (BAC.N) has announced its plan to increase its quarterly common stock dividend to 24 cents per share from 22 cents per share from the beginning of the third quarter in 2023.
Unlike other major banks in the United States, Bank of America held back a decision on the dividend last week. Third-quarter dividends were, however, hiked by JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), Citigroup (C.N), Wells Fargo (WFC.N), Goldman Sachs (GS.N), and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) last week.
A dialogue with the fed was cited to understand the differing results between the central bank’s stress test and the companies’ own under the Dodd-Frank Act.
The annual test by the Fed showed that major lenders, including BofA, process enough capital to sail them through a severe economic slump, which will pave the way for them to buy back shares and issue dividends.
Source: Reuters
Gunman Who Killed 23 People In Walmart Gets Multiple Life Sentences
Photo Source: AP Photo/Andrés Leighton
Friday, July 7, 2023 – A gunman from Texas who killed 23 people at a Walmart in 2019 has been sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences in federal prison. After federal prosecutors promised they would not seek the death penalty, the 24-year-old pleaded guilty. The shooting is categorized as one of the deadliest mass shootings in the history of the United States.
More than 50 people were at the court in El Paso on Friday morning, while more people gathered in an overflow area to watch the sentencing.
While carrying an assault-style rifle, the attacker targeted mostly Hispanic shoppers when he killed 23 people and left 22 more injured in the U.S.-Mexico border town of El Paso. The gunman admitted he left his home, close to Dallas, and traveled almost 650 miles to the border town to target Latinos.
Source: BBC
Tennessee’s Ban Of Care For Transgender Youth Reinstated By Court
Photo Source: AP Photo/John Hanna
Saturday, July 8, 2023 – A court of appeal in the United States has ruled that a law in Tennessee, which prohibits doctors from proving medical care, such as puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgery for transgender minors, can go into effect immediately.
The United States Courts of Appeals for Sixth Circuit said the advocacy group that challenged Tennessee’s law could not provide any evidence that it violated the constitution of the United States. The panel, consisting of three judges, voted 2-1 to reverse the lower court's decision that had blocked the law from being enforced in Tennessee.
Tennessee’s law is one of the growing series of efforts by Republican lawmakers to impose new restrictions on medical care for transgender youths. Federal judges have blocked five laws similar to that of Tennessee because it violates the Constitution.
Source: Reuters
Department Of Justice Says Trump Is No Longer Entitled To Immunity
Photo Source: AP Photo/John Locher
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 – The Department of Justice has changed its position on defending former president Donald Trump in a lawsuit by former writer E. Jean Carroll. The justice department's decision may pave the way for a possible trial in January. The department ruled that it could no longer conclude that Trump was acting in his capacity as president when he made the statement in 2019.
After leaving the White House, Carroll has already won a second case against Trump over his comments. A jury in New York found that Trump was liable for sexual abuse and defamation and ordered him to pay her $5 million in damages.
The reversal made on Tuesday leaves Mr. Trump legally exposed to further damages and forced to rely on his own legal team rather than one from the government.
Source: The Guardian
Six-Week Abortion Ban Passed By Iowa Legislature
Photo Source: AP Photo/Hanna Fingerhut
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 – A bill that prevents abortion after six weeks has been passed by Iowa’s legislature, which the Republicans control. The governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, also a Republican, is expected to sign the bill into law.
The bill was passed by state senators by a vote of 32-17 after hours of public comments by lawmakers and Iowans on both sides of the issue. Abortion after six weeks would be allowed in the case of rape, incest, fetal abnormality, and situation that would put the woman’s life in danger.
The abortions ban after six weeks that was passed in Iowa in 2018 was put on hold by the courts while Roe v. Wade and similar state constitutional protection were in effect; both have now been reversed.
Source: Reuters
$39bn In Student Loan Canceled By President Biden
Photo Source: AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib
Friday, July 14, 2023 – The administration of President Biden has announced that it has forgiven $39bn in student loan debt for 804,000 borrowers with income-driven repayment plans. The Department of Education said it would notify qualifying borrowers enrolled in the plan if their loans are discharged. Officials confirm borrowers are eligible for forgiveness after 20 or 25 years of payments.
Last month, The Supreme Court ruled 6-3, effectively shutting down President Biden’s plan to cancel billions of dollars in student loans for more than 40 million Americans. After the ruling, President Biden promised to look for alternative ways to offer student loan forgiveness.
The Department of Education said the move would fix administrative errors that meant some borrowers’ payments did not count towards their qualifying for student loan relief.
Source: BBC
House Passes Defense Bill, Which Authorizes Record Spending
Photo Source: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Friday, July 14, 2023 – The House of Representatives of the United States has passed its version of a sweeping bill, setting policy for the Department of Defense. However, it is uncertain that the bill will become law after Republicans added a series of culturally conservative amendments.
The NDAA, or fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, was approved with a vote of 219-210. The act sets policy for the Pentagon and approves $886 billion in spending. The majority of the vote was across party lines, a departure from bipartisan support for a bill passed every year since 1961.
Part of the measures included in the bill is a pay raise for military members, initiatives to counter China and an additional $300 million in aid for Ukraine as it responds to the Invasion of Russia.
Source: Reuters
Edward Caban Appointed As The First Hispanic Police Commissioner In New York City
Photo Source: AP Photo/Jeenah Moon
Monday, July 17, 2023 – The Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, appointed Edward Caban as the acting police chief in the city. Caban will be the first Hispanic police commissioner in the city in its 178-year history. Adams, a former Captain in the New York police department, introduced Caban during a press conference.
The appointment of Caban came after the sudden resignation of the former police chief, Keechant Sewell, last month. Sewell was the first woman to lead the department and resigned after 18 months.
Caban came from a family of police officers, including his father, a former New York City Transit detective and three brothers who joined the police department. He began his police career in 1991 as a patrol officer and was promoted to sergeant in 1994 and then lieutenant in 1999.
Source: Reuters
Federal Judge Rejects Donald Trump’s Request For A New Trial
Photo Source: AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 – Donald Trump’s request for a new trial in a civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll was denied by a federal judge. A jury had earlier found the former president of the United States guilty of sexually abusing and defaming the writer and awarded her $5 million in damages.
Lewis Kaplan, United States District Judge in Manhattan, said in his 59-page decision that the verdict on May 9 was not a miscarriage of justice and there was no error in the jury's verdict.
Carroll accused Trump that he raped her in a department store dressing room in Manhattan in the mid-1990s. Trump, however, argued that awarding Carroll $2 million in compensatory damages for sexual assault was a bit excessive because the jury discovered that he had not raped her. He also added that the award for defamation was based on speculation.
Source: Reuters
Trial For Document Case Against Donald Trump Set For May 2024
Photo Source: AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Friday, July 21, 2023 – A federal judge in the United States has ordered that the trial in the classified document case against former president Donald Trump begin in May 2024. Judge Aileen Cannon confirmed that it is possible that the trial could begin as early as May 20. A pretrial hearing for the case is set to be held on May 14.
The order given by Judge Cannon also means that the case will unfold at a far slower speed than the prosecuting team was proposing. They recommended a fast-paced timeline to begin the trial in mid-December this year.
However, an adviser on Mr. Trump said given that the trial date is currently set for the middle of the primary season, they expect that they would be able to delay the trial beyond the 2024 presidential election.
Source: CNN
A New Office Launched By White House, To Be Directed By Retired General
Photo Source: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Friday, July 21, 2023 – The White House has launched a new office to prepare for and respond to potential pandemics has been launched by the White House. The new office will be led by a military combat surgeon and a retired Air Force major general who helped lead the Pentagon’s COVID response, Paul Friedrichs.
According to statements from the White House, the office will lead, coordinate and implement actions related to known and unknown biological threats or pathogens that could lead to a pandemic or significant health-related disruption in the country.
President Biden announced that Friedrichs would be the first director of the newly launched department. He is a special assistant to the president and senior director for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the White House National Security Council.
Source: Reuters
Texas Sued By Federal Authority Concerning Floating Barrier In Rio Grande River
Photo Source: AP Photo/Eric Gay
Monday, July 24, 2023 – The government of the United States has sued Texas concerning floating barriers installed by the state in the Rio Grande River to deter migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. Earlier in June, Republican Governor Greg Abbott announced the barrier made of orange buoys attached by webbings. Federal authorities said that the barrier expresses humanitarian concern and flouts federal law.
The Department of Justice argued in the lawsuit filed to a federal court in Austin that state officials were required to seek federal permission to put the barriers in place. Before the lawsuit, the federal government warned the Texas authorities that they could avoid legal battles if they removed the obstacle from the river.
On Monday, Mr. Abbott blamed President Joe Biden for a record-breaking level of illegal immigration, which made the barrier necessary.
Source: BBC
President Biden’s Border Asylum Restriction Blocked By Federal Judge
Photo Source: AP Photo/Gregory Bull
Tuesday, July 25, 2023 – A federal judge in the United States has blocked the new regulation of President Joe Biden, which restricts asylum access at the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration of President Biden immediately filed for an appeal with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
A district judge based in California, Jon Tigar, puts a 14-day hold on the order, which leaves the restrictions in place for the time being. The judge, an appointee of former President Obama, said that the law of the United States clearly states that illegal crossing of the border should not be a bar to asylum.
The Secretary of the United States Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, defended the legality of the asylum regulation by President Biden, saying in a statement that it remains in place for now pending an appeal. He also added asylum will not be granted for those who do not use one of the many lawful pathways that have been expanded.
Source: Reuter
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