Need to know: The top national and international news for June 18, 2021.
Former President Trump Endorses Tshibaka Over Murkowski in Alaska
Former President Donald Trump has stated his endorsement for Kelly Tshibaka over Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski for the Alaska Senate race. On Friday, he pledged to campaign against Murkowski and on the side of Tshibaka. Murkowski was one of the Republicans who voted to convict Trump for his involvement in the Jan 6 riots.
In a statement of endorsement, he said, “Lisa Murkowski is bad for Alaska, Murkowski has got to go!”
Trump continued his criticism with policy failures of Murkowski, such as her vote to confirm President Biden’s Interior Secretary Debb Haaland.
Much conflict has arisen following Tshibaka’s vote to convict Trump for inciting the Capitol attacks. Murkowski, on the other hand, has always been on his side and critical of the 2020 election results.
When asked if she believed in the election results in April, after the Biden administration was well underway, her response was “We don’t know the outcome of the 2020 election.”
“There were questions raised in several states, and we’re not allowed to look into the questions of those allegations to see what actually happened, I still have questions, and I think millions of other Americans do too.”
2. New York Mayoral Campaign Centers Around Public Safety
Following the near end of Covid-19, the mayoral candidates of New York are shifting their campaigns to focus on public safety and the streets of New York. Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat in the race, is concerned about the current challenges New York safety is facing: heroin users shooting up in Washington Square Park, stray bullets killing children in the borough, and a recent daytime shooting in Times Square. Kathryn Wylde, leader of the Partnership for New York City, stated “His win depends on public safety being the top issue.”
Another candidate in the race is Kathryn Garcia, former Sanitation Department commissioner who has risen in the polls following an endorsement from the New York Times. Andrew Yang, on the other hand, gained popularity during the 2020 election for the Democratic nomination, but since then his campaign has declined tremendously and a New York mayoral victory would be hard to accomplish at this point.
A former consultant who helped lead 2013 NY Mayor Bill de Blasio to victory stated “It’s a weird, messy race in a weird, messy time,” about the NY Mayor race, as next Tuesday’s primary nears.
3. UN Set To Pass Resolution To Restrict Myanmar Military Leaders
The General Assembly of the United Nations is set to establish a resolution that calls for military leaders of Myanmar and the sale of weapons to the country. Former ambassador of Myanmar to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun, has pushed for this legislation and UN interference and has influenced the decision made by the General Assembly, despite being backed out of the position of ambassador following treason charges by the military leaders of Myanmar.
The proposal is likely to pass through the UN and calls for the military leaders to behave democratically and respect the election results, as well as release the people they detained for treason or other related crimes.