Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of July 10

‘Whistleblower’ who accused Bidens of corruption is charged with arms trafficking and violating Iran sanctions.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/biden-gal-luft-criminal-charges-iran-b2372862.html

Oh he's also acting as a foreign agent for China.

I'm trying to imagine the chain of events that would happen if the democrats associated in any way with this type of person. Hannity would devote the rest of his career to this story, and it's all you would hear about in any conservative media until about 2028.

Trump's Campaign Is Already Shaping Global Affairs
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2023-07-09/trump-s-possible-win-is-shaping-policies-of-china-russia-japan-eu

This is an opinion piece exploring what might happen if Trump were to be re-elected in the next US Presidential election. (It might be paywalled for some but I was unable to find an alternative link this time, sorry!)

A concern I have heard many times is that the world is more dangerous than a half-decade ago, amid a hot war in Ukraine, a cold war between America and China, a slow-motion nuclear crisis with Iran, and other problems. The margin for erratic or gratuitously abrasive behavior by a global superpower is smaller than when Trump first held office, which makes the expected implications of a return more pronounced.

The responses we have seen to those expectations aren’t uniformly damaging, from Washington’s perspective. If the possibility of a Trump return hastens Japan’s transition from a consumer to a provider of security in the Indo-Pacific, what’s not to like? In an odd way, the ideal equilibrium might be one in which Trump or someone like him never retakes the White House, but the chance of that happening still spurs greater activism among countries committed to the present international order.

But in the end, Trump’s shadow is largely shaping the world in less favorable ways. It encourages Putin to hang tough in a terrible war. It adds to Beijing’s hopes of splitting America from its European friends. It deprives the US government of leverage in dealing with friends and foes in the Middle East.

It would be unfair to blame Trump for all of these strategic problems. It’s not unfair to say that he contributes to them. Whether or not he wins the presidency again, the Age of Trump isn’t over. The challenge his return could pose for US policy is already here.

U.S. inflation falls to 3%, lowest level in more than 2 years, as price pressures ease (Archive link)

The inflation figure the government reported Wednesday was down sharply from a 4% annual rate in May, though still above the Fed’s 2% target rate. Over the past 12 months, gas prices have dropped, grocery costs have risen more slowly and used cars have become less expensive.

From my entirely uneducated point of view, this seems to be, on paper, a good thing? I know it's not really translating into the squeeze people are still feeling, often regarding rent and other necessities. But I know for a while a ton of economists were concerned that the high interest rates would cause a major economic recession, which doesn't seem to be happening...

Veterans quit as training, mission for DeSantis’ State Guard turn militaristic (Miami Herald)

When DeSantis announced in 2021 he wanted to revive the long-dormant State Guard, he vowed it would help Floridians during emergencies. But in the year since its launch, key personnel and a defined mission remain elusive. The state is looking for the program’s third leader in eight months. According to records reviewed by the Herald/Times and interviews with program volunteers, a number of recruits quit after the first training class last month because they feared it was becoming too militaristic.

More than 800,000 borrowers will receive federal student loan forgiveness (NPR)

The debt erasure applies to long-time borrowers who should have qualified for loan forgiveness under the rules of the government's income-driven repayment plans, but haven't received it.