Trump Speech, Amazon Tribe, and World's Smartest Cities

Adam Rogers
July 19, 2024

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Former President Trump closed the Republican National Convention with a speech urging the country to heal its divisions.

The convention was marked by Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump, which left him with a visible bandage on his ear. The incident has strengthened his position in the presidential race, only 100 days from Election Day. Trump’s speech was the longest nomination acceptance speech in history, lasting over 90 minutes.
He began his speech by detailing the assassination attempt, calling for unity, and extending an olive branch to skeptical voters, promising to revive the American Dream. Then, he went on the offensive, criticizing current Democratic leaders and blaming the Biden administration for various crises, including inflation and immigration.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is seriously considering stepping aside as confirmed by a source close to multiple Democratic officials. Biden, 81, has faced more pressure from leaders in his party to give up his spot after a poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump raised concerns about his age and ability to win in November.

More than 50 members of the uncontacted Mashco Piro tribe were seen on a riverbank in the remote Peruvian Amazon.

The group was filmed near Monte Salvado, a village of the Yine people, who have reported that the Mashco Piro are upset about loggers on their land. Logging concessions have been given by the Peruvian government in the area, despite it being home to the Mashco Piro.
The Mashco Piro have been leaving the rainforest more often to find food and avoid loggers. This isn't the first time they've reacted to logging; in 2013 some of its members had a standoff with a remote community, likely over the deforestation issue. Organizations are afraid the confrontations could get violent if companies continue operating in the area. One company, Maderera Canales Tahuamanu SAC, has built extensive roads to carry timber out of the Mashco Piro territory.
Survival International and FENAMAD are urging the government and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to stop logging activities and protect the Mashco Piro territory. They demand the FSC cancel the company’s certification to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

The U.S. Navy exonerated 256 Black sailors of unjust punishments given in 1944 after a port explosion that killed hundreds of service members.

In 1944, a giant explosion at the Port Chicago naval weapons station in California killed 320 people and hurt 400 more. Most of the people working there were Black sailors and white officers. After the explosion, the white officers got time off, but the Black sailors were asked to clean up the mess and continue working. Because they felt it was unsafe and they had no new safety training, 258 Black sailors refused to go back to their dangerous jobs handling ammunition.
Out of the 258 sailors, 208 eventually went back to work after being threatened with punishment. The remaining 50 sailors, known as the "Port Chicago 50," were convicted of mutiny, dishonorably discharged, forced to give up their pay, and sent to prison for 15 years. Later, their sentences were reduced to 17 to 29 months, and many were allowed to finish their contracts after being released.
Recently, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro cleared the names of all 256 sailors. The General Counsel of the Navy found that the trials were unfair. The sailors had been tried together and didn’t have proper legal representation. The exoneration not only clears the sailors' names but also converts their discharges to honorable, allowing their families to seek any owed benefits.

Caitlin Clark set a new WNBA record for assists in a game with 19 during the Indiana Fever's 101-93 loss to the Dallas Wings. The previous record was 18 assists, set by Courtney Vandersloot for the Chicago Sky. Clark became the second rookie in league history to score or assist on 50 or more points in multiple games. (More)

A U.S. appeals court blocked President Biden's student debt relief plan, called the SAVE Plan. This is not a final decision, but it stops the plan while the court case continues The order came the same day as the administration canceled $1.2 billion in student debt for 35,000 public service workers. (More)

Lou Dobbs, a well-known conservative political pundit and TV host, has died at 78. He was a founding anchor for CNN and later hosted "Lou Dobbs Tonight" on Fox Business for over a decade. His death was announced on his official X account, which said he was a "fighter till the very end" and that his legacy as a patriot and great American will live on. (More)

Thirteen people were killed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Thursday when students clashed with armed police during protests against a policy for government job quotas. The protests have killed at least 19 people this week. (More)

Amazon’s Prime Day event had record sales this year, with U.S. consumers spending $14.2 billion on July 16 and 17. This was an 11% increase from last year’s $12.7 billion. On the first day, buyers spent $7.2 billion, up 11.2% from last year. On the second day, sales increased 10.4% to $7 billion.(More)

Paris mayor swims in the Seine River to prove its cleanliness for the Olympics.

How to watch the Perseid meteor shower.

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