News roundup: June 13 – July 10

Here are the top stories June 13 to July 10 from Texas, the United States and around the world.

Texas:

Special election – The special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold concluded June 30. Republican Michael Cloud beat Democrat Eric Holguin 55 percent to 32 percent. Cloud’s win averts the need for a runoff election. The special election determined who finishes the remainder of Farenthold’s term which ends in January 2018. Rep. Cloud will serve the 27th district, which houses Corpus Christi, north to Austin and up the Gulf Coast to Houston.

Parasites cause outbreak – Texas health officials began warning about an outbreak of illnesses linked to the parasite Cyclospora June 21. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said there have been 56 cases since May, including three in Houston. Last year, Houston saw 18 cases of illness caused by Cyclospora. Despite the drop, DSHS is still warning citizens to stay aware and to wash all fresh produce.

Immigrant children allegedly drugged – Federal court filings reveal allegations that immigrant minors housed at the Shiloh Treatment Center south of Houston are being drugged and abused. The treatment center is one of 71 government contractor companies that receive funds from the federal government to house immigrant children deemed as unaccompanied minors. Children at the center describe being forced to take injections causing drowsiness, and being physically abused and choked by Shiloh supervisors. Shiloh has a history of alleged medical and physical abuse.

Democratic National Convention – Houston is one of three finalists bidding to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention (DNC). Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Houston’s chances of hosting “grew exponentially” after Denver dropped out of the bidding. The other cities being considered are Miami, Florida and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mayor Turner suggested the bid’s success would help Houston get the Republican National Convention in 2024.

United States:

Exactis data leak – Marketing firm Exactis left a personal info database with 340 million records exposed on the internet. The leak was discovered by security researcher Vinny Troia and reported June 27. The information leaked includes phone numbers, home addresses, email addresses, interests and habits, as well as the number, age and gender of the person’s children. The data is split into 230 million consumers and 110 million business contacts. The Exactis leak is larger than Equifax’s data breach that exposed 146 million records.

Scott Pruitt resigns – Scott Pruitt resigned as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency July 6. Pruitt’s tenure at the agency was marred by numerous ethics investigations, including allegations of spending abuses, first-class travel and close working relationships with lobbyists. Pruitt cited “unrelenting attacks” as one of the reasons for his resignation. Pruitt led the largest regulatory rollback in agency history, as well as urging President Donald Trump to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate agreement. As one of his last actions in office, Pruitt secured a loophole for truck manufacturers to be allowed to produce and sell glider kits as a way to bypass pollution controls. Pruitt’s replacement is former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler.

Justice retirement – Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement June 27. Kennedy’s retirement will become effective July 31. Kennedy, a conservative, provided key votes for same-sex marriage, abortion and affirmative action during his 30-year tenure at the Supreme Court. President Trump announced July 9 Brett Kavanaugh, a judge from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as his nominee. This will be President Trump’s second opportunity to nominate a justice in his two years as president.

Capital Gazette shooting – Jarrod Ramos is suspected of committing a mass shooting at the offices of newspaper publisher Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland June 28. Five employees were killed, and 2 were injured. Ramos was captured by police with a shotgun and a backpack containing smoke bombs, flashbang devices and grenades. Ramos remains in custody.

International:

China – China has reportedly developed a prototype laser assault rifle dubbed the ZKZM-500. The rifle has similar dimensions to an AK-47 and can burn through a target’s clothes and skin from 800 meters away. The weapon weighs 3 kilograms with a caliber of 15 millimeters and is powered by rechargeable lithium batteries that allow 1,000 zaps and 2 seconds per shot. The weapon is described as non-lethal and is ready for mass production for China’s military and police. However, ZKZM Laser, the maker of the rifle, has not yet found a licensed partner for production.

US-China Trade war – The United States and China officially began their trade war when the U.S. levied $34 billion of duties on Chinese imports July 6. China responded shortly after with its own countermeasures against imported U.S. goods including: lobsters, soybeans, electric cars and other agricultural products. The U.S. placed tariffs on Chinese imports including motor vehicles, computer disk drives, plumbing parts and other industrial components. President Trump announced that tariffs on an additional $16 billion in Chinese goods are set to take effect in the next two weeks and that the U.S. is ready to target $200 billion and then another $300 billion in Chinese imports if China does not yield to U.S. demands. China and the European Union recently announced multilateral trade steps to strengthen economic ties in the wake of President Trump’s trade threats.

Mexico – Mexico elected Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador July 1 as its new president. Obrador, the first leftist president since Mexico’s transition to multiparty democracy, ran on a populist campaign against corruption and promises to the poor. Obrador, former mayor of Mexico City, has already announced plans to end foreign fuel imports in three years, to build new high schools and universities to boost education, and to reboot diplomatic relations with the United States.

Turkey – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected President of Turkey June 24 after moving the election forward from Nov. 3. Recent changes to the Turkish constitution permit Erdogan to attempt another reelection, potentially staying in office until 2025. On the eve of his new five-year term as president, Erdogan dismissed more than 18,000 civil servants, including 9,000 police officers and hundreds of soldiers and academics. The mass dismissal marks a continuation of the two-year state of emergency following a failed coup to oust Erdogan in 2016.

On the bright side:

Soccer team rescue – All 12 members of a young boys’ soccer team and their coach have been rescued after being trapped several kilometers in a cave for fifteen days. The rescue operation was in a race against time as weather forecasts predicted increased rainfall due to monsoon season.

Also published on Medium.