5 vital stories to know this week [6/30]
From Congress trying to censor Palestinians' death toll in Gaza, to Supreme Court rulings that could dramatically shift how the US regulates public health, here are five stories to know this week.
House votes to ban State Department from citing Gaza Health Ministry death toll statistics
The U.S. House voted on an amendment to prohibit the State Department from citing statistics from the Gaza Health Ministry—the only source of mortality count for Gazans whose healthcare system has been dismantled by Israel’s bombardment of the tightly dense region. 67 Democrats joined all 207 Republicans in favor of the ruling, which still needs to go through the Senate to officially become law.
The House’s only Palestinian-American representative, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, slammed the vote, which observers say is an attempt to hide the scale of the devastation wreaked on Gaza by Israel.
“Since 1948, Mr. Speaker, there has been a coordinated effort, especially in this chamber, to dehumanize Palestinians and erase Palestinians from existence,” Tlaib said in a speech to Congress. "My colleagues want to prohibit our own US officials from even citing the Palestinian death toll."
Over 38,000 Palestinians have been killed since Oct, 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures have been used by the World Health Organization, Human Rights Watch, the UN, and before the war, Israel and the U.S.
Worried Democrats discuss replacing Biden in race after concerning debate performance
Some members of the Democratic party’s leadership are concerned over President Biden’s policies and mental state after he could not form coherent arguments and, at times, basic sentences during the 2024 presidential debate hosted by CNN, according to memos from high-level Democratic strategists. According to CNN polls, 67% of Americans said former President Donald Trump won the presidential debate while 33% said Biden won–despite Trump lying more than 26 times, per the New York Times. CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash were criticized for not fact-checking either of the candidate’s claims.
Theoretically, Democrats could choose another candidate if party leadership and the 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination reach a consensus before the end of the Democratic National Convention on August 22–and, of course, President Biden agrees to step down. A spokesman for the White House said President Biden does not intend to drop out of the race and will be prepared for the next debate on Sep 10.
REMINDER: The general election is on November 5th! Register to vote here if you already haven’t! Local elections still matter!
Investigation confirms Israeli tank killed six-year-old Hind Rajab
Hind’s call for help to emergency operators went viral on social media and showed how she was the only one alive in her family car, hiding from Israeli forces among the bloody bodies of her relatives. Hind’s plea for rescue ended when the phone line was cut amid the sound of more gunfire. The firms’s investigation concluded that it was “not plausible” that Israeli forces would not have seen who they shot 335 bullets at.
“It’s not plausible that the shooter could not have seen that the car was occupied by civilians, including children,” the firm found. “From the tank position indicated by the greatest alignment between entry and exit holes, we concluded that the shooter would have had a clear view of the car and its passengers.”
The Israeli military continues to say their troops were not present during the murder of Hind and her family. The Palestinian Red Cresent, whose two paramedics were killed, told The Intercept that the Red Cresent and the UN are waiting for Israel to supply evidence to back their claims.
Supreme Court rulings could dramatically shift policies for unhoused people and public health.
In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court on June 28 upheld ordinances by Grant Pass, Oregon that prohibited unhoused people from using blankets, pillows, or cardboard boxes for protection while sleeping within city limits, arguing that baring camping on public property does not violate the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling sparked outrage among rights groups, who fear this will exacerbate homelessness. States like Florida have already passed laws banning unhoused people from camping in public spaces and similar laws are expected to be debated in state governments nationwide.
In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court on June 28 overruled their landmark 1984 decision Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which upheld federal agencies' interpretation of ambiguous laws, known as the Chevron Doctrine. The move could sharply decline the power of federal agencies and leave important environmental and public health decisions to judges instead of government-appointed experts.
Infant mortality increases over 12% in Texas after near total abortion ban enacted in 2021, per study
Infant mortality increased by 12.9% from 2021 to 2022 after Texas' near-total ban on abortion was enacted, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics. A total of 2243 Texas infants, or children under 1 year, died in 2022 compared to 1985 Texas infant deaths in 2021.
This study, "basically confirms what we've suspected for a long time," said Dr. Richard Ivey, a practicing OB/GYN in Houston. "We knew that infant mortality would go up, particularly with congenital anomalies," after the passage of the ban, he said.
Context: The Texas Heartbeat Act— Texas' near-total abortion ban—was implemented in September 2021.