5 Stories to Watch Next Week | June 26, 2020

5 Stories to Watch Next Week There are simply too many developing stories to follow in the world. To make things easier, we narrowed them down to five that you should really watch next week: The coronavirus surging across America — Cases of the coronavirus are surging across the US. Nationally, state health departments reported about 40,000 new cases on Thursday, a record total for the second straight day. As a result, Florida, Texas, and other states have paused their plans to reopen. Arizona is another state that has been hit hard in recent days. Interestingly, young people account for a high percentage of the new cases. We’ll need to watch next week whether the virus keeps spreading. We may see more states stop the process of reopening and possibly even begin re-imposing lockdowns. Efforts both to strike down and enhance Obamacare — The Trump administration filed a legal brief on Thursday asking the Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act, known more commonly as Obamacare. The Department of Justice joined Republican officials in Texas and 17 other states in arguing that the law is invalid because, in 2017, Congress ended the financial penalty for not having health insurance — the individual mandate. Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote in the brief that the law’s two remaining central provisions are therefore invalid because Congress intended that all three work together. Meanwhile, the House is set to vote on a bill being pushed by Democrats to strengthen Obamacare by extending exchange subsidies to a broader share of the population. Watch next week to see what happens with the bill and expect Obamacare to begin taking center stage as a major campaign issue straight into November. Status of police reform legislation in Congress — On Thursday, the House passed a Democratic bill to revamp the nation’s law enforcement practices in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Only three Republicans — Reps. Will Hurd (Tex.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and Fred Upton (Mich.) — joined Democrats in backing the bill, which the Trump administration has threatened to veto. The Wall Street Journal reports that the bill would, in part, “make it easier to prosecute police officers for misconduct and allow civilians to recover some damages if their constitutional rights are found to have been violated by police.” Senate Republicans are working on a separate bill, which Democrats blocked on Wednesday. The bills have many similar measures, but it remains to be seen whether lawmakers will be able to reach a compromise amid intense partisanship. Watch next week to see whether the legislation takes any steps forward in either chamber of Congress. Israel’s plan to extend sovereignty to parts of West Bank — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to begin extending Israel’s sovereignty over parts of the West Bank as early as July 1, which is next week. The plan is based on the Trump administration’s peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. President Trump says he has not yet made a final decision on whether he supports Israel’s plan, but many Democrats in Congress have urged Israel not to move forward. (Many Republicans support the Israeli plan.) Netanyahu’s pledge has been controversial, triggering fierce debates around the world. Watch next week to see whether Israel begins extending its sovereignty and what position the Trump administration ultimately decides to take. US-China tensions over China’s new Hong Kong law — The Senate on Thursday passed by bipartisan consent a bill that would impose sanctions on Chinese officials who erode Hong Kong’s limited autonomy from China — as well as the banks and firms that do business with them. The legislation, a response to China’s new national security laws for Hong Kong, aims to defend human rights in Hong Kong and pressure China to preserve the territory’s autonomy. Watch next week to see if the bill passes the House and makes it to President Trump’s desk for potential signing. And look out for Beijing’s reaction, which is not going to be positive.