Here are a few news stories that caught our attention during the week of August 4-10, 2024.
What We Read This Week
1. Joe Biden to meet national security team as fears grow of retaliatory Iranian attack on Israel (The Guardian; August 5, 2024).
US is attempting to ‘turn the temperature down’ after assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders last week escalate tensions. The US deployed extra fighter jets and warships to the region amid growing fears of an Iranian attack on Israel. Regional tensions increased after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran after an Israel strike in Beirut killed a senior military commander from the Lebanese group Hezbollah, Fuad Shukur. Iran back both groups, which has sworn revenge.
“The overall goal is to turn the temperature down in the region, deter and defend against those attacks, and avoid regional conflict,” Jonathan Finer, the White House’s deputy national security adviser, said.
2. A Rocket Attack at an Iraqi Military Base Injures US Personnel, Officials Say (Military.com; August 5, 2024). Thinking of these service members, their families and all who are missing loved ones overseas during this time of increased tension.
This recent suspected rocket attack occurred at al-Asad air base in Iraq. Attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan have escalated since October 2023, often conducted by Iranian-backed militias and usually with claims as retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza with the aim of pushing U.S. troops out of the region.
Here’s SFI’s 90-second explainer on what’s happening in the region — who is doing what where: Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraq.
3. With voting under attack, Arizona schools don’t want to be polling locations (Washington Post; August 5, 2024). Misinformation and disinformation about elections have real world consequences for voters and our democratic process.
Arizona’s largest public school district, Mesa Public Schools, isn’t opening its schools to voters as poling sites for the first time in decades. Voting last November was supposed to be done mostly by mail, but misinformation and mistrust led many voters to vote in-person instead, causing traffic jams and confrontations. Voters harangued school staff, confusing them as election workers, and accused them of “disenfranchising voters” for hosting secure ballot drop boxes.
“It was very chaotic,” Assistant Superintendent Scott Thompson recalled. “It was overwhelming.”
Heightened school safety protocols and sustained attacks on voting systems and the people who run them — largely by Trump and his supporters — have prompted school leaders across America in both red and blue states to close their doors to the democratic process
4. Majority of US adults say democracy is on the ballot but they differ on the threat: AP-NORC poll (Associated Press; August 8, 2024).
Roughly 3 in 4 American adults believe the upcoming presidential election is vital to the future of U.S. democracy, although which candidate they think poses the greater threat depends on their political leanings, according to a poll.
5. Both VP picks are military veterans (The National Desk; August 7, 2024). The next commander in chief will have a military veteran as their vice president.
Walz spent 24 years in the Nebraska and Minnesota Army National Guards. And former President Donald Trump picked former Marine JD Vance, now a freshman senator, to be his running mate last month.
Here are a couple happy news stories from this week.
6. Army lieutenant ‘living the American dream’ crowned Miss USA (Stars and Stripes; August 5, 2024).
Alma Cooper, an Army 2nd lieutenant and U.S. Military Academy graduate, was crowned Miss USA on Sunday, beating 50 other contestants in the two-hour, nationally televised competition. Her title comes on the heels of a January victory in the Miss America pageant by Air Force 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, who is the first active-duty officer to win that crown.
7. Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum To Open Voting by Mail Exhibition. Ok, voting nerds, this exhibition is for us! Voting by Mail: Civil War to Covid-19” opens August 24.
The National Postal Museum’s exhibition “Voting by Mail: Civil War to Covid-19” explores the significant role of voting by mail in America’s democracy. Over time, legislation for both military and civilian voting using the mail has been shaped by events and politics with provisions added, removed and amended.
While You’re Here
And here’s an action item, if you are a Georgia voter who votes absentee or know a Georgia voter who does. We’re interested in hearing from you! Our organization wants to challenge the state of Georgia to repeal a new law that would remove voters from registration rolls without official challenges. This new law may remove you as a registered voter if you have a change of address or use a PO Box for your address, which could impact many military members who move frequently and/or may use an on-base address. Secure Families Initiative wants to make sure everyone in our community keeps their voting rights. But in order to do so, we would need help from folks in our network who could be impacted.