Guatemala Declares State of Siege After Deadly Gang Violence and Prison Hostage Crisis 
Minnesota U.S. Citizen Detained by ICE in Armed Raid Sparks Outrage and Civil Rights Concerns 
European Leaders Unite in Davos as Trump’s Greenland Threat Sparks Trade Tensions 
Supreme Court Tests Federal Reserve Independence Amid Trump’s Bid to Fire Lisa Cook 
Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Proposal Sparks Global Debate Over U.N. Role 
Japan Government Bond Rout Deepens as Election Spending Fears Shake Markets 
Kazakh President Tokayev Accepts Invitation to Join Trump-Proposed “Board of Peace” 
Syria Announces Ceasefire With Kurdish Forces as U.S. Pushes Integration Deal 
Syrian Government Consolidates Control as Kurdish Forces Withdraw from Key Regions 
Trump Signs Executive Order to Limit Wall Street Investment in Single-Family Homes 
Trump Signals Possible Harvard Deal Amid Ongoing Tensions 
Trump’s Greenland Ambition Sparks NATO Tensions, Trade War Fears, and Global Market Turmoil 
Russia Says Ukraine Peace Talks With U.S. Show Progress 
Trump Rejects Talks With Maduro Amid Election Interference Allegations 
Trump Says U.S. and NATO Will Reach Agreement on Greenland’s Future 
U.S. Plans NATO Staff Reductions, Raising Fresh Concerns Over Alliance Commitment 
JD Vance and Wife Usha Announce They Are Expecting Fourth Child in July 
Following the Tokyo Olympics come the Paralympic Games that will also take place in Japan’s capital. This time, Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff will be leading the US delegation to the sporting events.
US President Joe Biden has announced that Emhoff will be making his first overseas engagement as the second gentleman by leading the US delegation to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. The events were delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as countries are facing a surge in cases due to the Delta variant. Emhoff will be attending the opening ceremony on August 24, and along with him will be Raymond Greene, who is leading the US Embassy in Tokyo until an ambassador is appointed and sworn in.
Emhoff’s attendance also follows first lady Dr. Jill Biden’s leading of the US team in the recent Olympic Games in Tokyo. Dr. Biden met with the Japanese Prime Minister and the Emperor. Dr. Biden also attended some of the games before returning to Washington.
Emhoff has so far been touring the country to promote the Biden-Harris administration’s agenda. The most recent tour was to promote COVID-19 vaccinations, encouraging people to get vaccinated against the disease. There is still a significant portion of Americans that are vaccinated or have refused to take the vaccine.
4,400 athletes with disabilities from 160 countries will be competing in over 20 sporting events. The events will also be adhering to the COVID-19 protocols, similar to the recent Olympic games.
Previously, Harris spoke with the new Israeli President Isaac Herzog this week over the phone, congratulating Herzog for his election. The readouts of the conversation from both their offices said that Harris reaffirmed the Biden administration’s commitment to the security of Israel while reiterating the importance of US-Israel relations.
A readout from Harris’s office also stated that she reiterated the importance of the US’s pledge to seek the two-state solution to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. The readout from Herzog’s office made no mention of the conflict and instead said that they focused on the US’ support for normalizing the ties between Israel and other Arab nations.
