MILWAUKEE: Two days after surviving an attempted assassination, former President Donald Trump appeared triumphantly at the Republican National Convention’s opening night with a bandage over his right ear, the latest compelling scene in a presidential campaign already defined by dramatic turns.
GOP delegates cheered wildly when Trump appeared onscreen backstage and then emerged in the arena, visibly emotional, as musician Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the USA.” That was hours after the convention had formally nominated the former president to head the Republican ticket in November against President Joe Biden.
Trump did not address the hall — with his acceptance speech scheduled for Thursday — but smiled silently and occasionally waved as Greenwood sang. He eventually joined his newly announced running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, to listen to the night’s remaining speeches, often with a subdued expression and muted reactions uncharacteristic for the unabashed showman
The raucous welcome underscored the depth of the crowd’s affection for the man who won the 2016 nomination as an outsider, at odds with the party establishment, but now has vanquished all Republican rivals, silenced most GOP critics and commands loyalty up and down the party ranks.
“We must unite as a party, and we must unite as a nation,” said Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley, Trump’s handpicked party leader, as he opened Monday’s primetime national convention session. “We must show the same strength and resilience as President Trump and lead this nation to a greater future.”
But Whatley and other Republican leaders made clear that their calls for harmony did not extend to Biden and Democrats, who find themselves still riven by worries that the 81-year-old question is not up to the job of defeating Trump.
“Their policies are a clear and present danger to America, to our institutions, our values and our people,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, welcoming the party to his battleground state, which Trump won in 2016 but lost to Biden four years ago.
Saturday’s shooting at a Pennsylvania rally, where Trump was injured and one man died, were clearly in mind, but the proceedings were celebratory — a stark contrast to the anger and anxiety that had marked the previous few days. Some delegates chanted “fight, fight, fight” — the same words that Trump was seen shouting to the crowd as the Secret Service ushered him off the stage, his fist raised and face bloodied.
“We should all be thankful right now that we are able to cast our votes for President Donald J. Trump after what took place on Saturday,” said New Jersey state Sen. Michael Testa as he announced all of his state’s 12 delegates for Trump.
When Trump cleared the necessary number of delegates, video screens in the arena read “OVER THE TOP” while the song “Celebration” played and delegates danced and waved Trump signs. Throughout the voting, delegates flanked by “Make America Great Again” signs applauded as state after state voted their support for a second Trump term.
Multiple speakers invoked religious imagery to discuss Trump and the assassination attempt.
“The devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle,” said Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. “But an American lion got back up on his feet!”
Wyoming delegate Sheryl Foland was among those who adopted the “fight” chant after seeing Trump survive Saturday in what she called “monumental photos and video.”
“We knew then we were going to adopt that as our chant,” added Foland, a child trauma mental health counselor. “Not just because we wanted him to fight, and that God was fighting for him. We thought, isn’t it our job to accept that challenge and fight for our country?”
“It’s bigger than Trump,” Foland said. “It’s a mantra for our country.”
Another well-timed development boosted the mood on the convention floor Monday: The federal judge presiding over Trump’s classified documents case dismissed the prosecution because of concerns over the appointment of the prosecutor who brought the case, handing the former president a major court victory.
The convention is designed to reach people outside the GOP base
Trump’s campaign chiefs designed the convention to feature a softer and more optimistic message, focusing on themes that would help a divisive leader expand his appeal among moderate voters and people of color.
On a night devoted to the economy, delegates and a national TV audience heard from speakers the Trump campaign pitched as “everyday Americans” — a single mother talking about inflation, a union member who identified himself as a lifelong Democrat now backing Trump, a small business owner, among others.
Featured speakers also included Black Republicans who have been at the forefront of the Trump campaign’s effort to win more votes from a core Democratic constituency.
US Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas said rising grocery and energy prices were hurting Americans’ wallets and quoted Ronald Reagan in calling inflation “the cruelest tax on the poor.” Hunt argued Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t seem to understand the problem.
“We can fix this disaster,” Hunt said, by electing Trump and sending “him right back to where he belongs, the White House.”
Scott, perhaps the party’s most well-known Black lawmaker, declared: “America is not a racist country.”
Republicans hailed Vance’s selection as a key step toward a winning coalition in November.
Trump announced his choice of his running mate as delegates were voting on the former president’s nomination Monday. The young Ohio senator first rose to national attention with his best-selling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which told of his Appalachian upbringing and was hailed as a window into the parts of working-class America that helped propel Trump.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who had been considered a potential vice presidential pick, said in a post on X that Vance’s “small town roots and service to country make him a powerful voice for the America First Agenda.”
Yet despite calls for harmony, two of the opening speakers at Monday’s evening session — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and North Carolina gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson — are known as some of the party’s most incendiary figures.
Robinson, speaking recently during a church service in North Carolina, discussed “evil” people who he said threatened American Christianity. “Some folks need killing,” he said then, though he steered clear of such rhetoric at the convention stage.
The campaign continues
Trump’s nomination came on the same day that Biden sat for another national TV interview the president sought to demonstrate his capacity to serve another four years despite continued worries within his own party.
Biden told ABC News that he made a mistake recently when he told Democratic donors the party must stop questioning his fitness for office and instead put Trump in a “bullseye.” Republicans have circulated the comment aggressively since Saturday’s assassination attempt, with some openly blaming Biden for inciting the attack on Trump’s life.
The president’s admission was in line with his call Sunday from the Oval Office for all Americans to ratchet down political rhetoric. But Biden maintained Monday that drawing contrasts with Trump, who employs harsh and accusatory language, is a legitimate part of a presidential contest.
Inside the arena in Milwaukee, Republicans did not dial back their attacks on Biden, at one point playing a video that mocked the president’s physical stamina and mental acuity.
They alluded often to the “Biden-Harris administration” and took regular digs at Vice President Kamala Harris — a not-so-subtle allusion to the notion that Biden could step aside in favor of his second-in-command.
Trump, ear bandaged, appears at Republican National Convention
https://arab.news/wc2n2
Trump, ear bandaged, appears at Republican National Convention
Police arrest more than 50 Palestine Action demonstrators in London
- Protests against ban on group held across the UK including in Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol
- Hearing into legal challenge to the group’s terrorism designation to be held Monday
LONDON: More than 50 protesters have been arrested in central London supporting the banned group Palestine Action.
Protests were held across the UK on Saturday, including in Manchester, Edinburgh and Bristol after the group was outlawed as a terrorist organization.
The main demonstration was in Parliament Square in Westminster, where numerous people held up signs reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
Supporting a proscribed group in the UK is illegal. The protesters in London were detained under Section 13 of the UK’s Terrorism Act, which carries a possible jail term of six years.
On X the Metropolitan Police stated: “55 people were arrested in Parliament Square for displaying placards in support of Palestine Action which is a proscribed group.”
Eight people were also arrested in Truro, Cornwall for a similar protest. Several others were detained in Manchester.
Defend Our Juries, the group behind the protests, said before the demonstrations that 120 people in the UK had been arrested for supporting Palestine Action so far.
The group was banned after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton on June 20, causing an estimated £7 million ($9.38 million) of damage to military aircraft.
Membership of direct support for Palestine Action now carries a prison term of up to 14 years. Displaying the group’s name on clothing could lead to a six-month jail sentence.
A hearing into a permission to bring a judicial review into the ban will be held at the High Court in London on Monday.
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28 dead after tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay: state media
- Vietnamese Border Guards and navy rescued 11 people and recovered 28 bodies
HANOI: At least 28 people have died and more than a dozen remain missing after a tourist boat carrying more than 50 people capsized Saturday in Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, state media said.
“On the afternoon of July 19, the Wonder Sea tourist boat carrying 53 people capsized. Vietnamese Border Guards and navy rescued 11 people and recovered 28 bodies,” VNExpress news site reported.
Belgium probes death of Canadian festival-goer at Tomorrowland
- The Antwerp prosecutor’s office said they were looking to establish what caused the death
- The event’s organizers said the woman became unwell at the festival
BRUSSELS: Belgian authorities said Saturday they have opened an investigation into the death of a Canadian woman who fell ill at Tomorrowland, one of the world’s largest electronic music festivals.
The Antwerp prosecutor’s office told AFP they were looking to establish what caused the death of the 35-year-old, one of tens of thousands of festival-goers who attended the event’s opening night on Friday.
The event’s organizers said the woman became unwell at the festival, which is held in Boom, near Antwerp, and “received first aid on site” before being transferred to hospital, where she later died.
“This morning, we were saddened to learn of her death. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and loved ones,” said Tomorrowland spokeswoman Debby Wilmsen.
Featuring scores of DJs including David Guetta, Lost Frequencies and Charlotte de Witte, Tomorrowland draws electronic music enthusiasts from all over the world.
Around 400,000 people are expected to attend over two weekends.
The event was initially thrown into doubt this week after a fire destroyed its main stage. But organizers speedily put in place an “alternative setup,” and the festival went ahead as planned.
Ukraine evacuates 43 deportees held on Russian-Georgian border
- At least 56 Ukrainians were being held in a basement facility near the Russian-Georgian border, according to aid group Volunteers Tbilisi
- Sybiga said 43 Ukrainians had been evacuated from Georgia via Moldova
KYIV: Ukraine said Saturday it had evacuated 43 of its citizens recently deported from Russia who were being held in Georgia in dire conditions, accusing Moscow of “weaponizing” deportations.
At least 56 Ukrainians, mostly prisoners who completed their sentences and were subsequently ordered to leave Russia, were being held in a basement facility near the Russian-Georgian border, according to aid group Volunteers Tbilisi.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said 43 Ukrainians, many lacking documents, had been evacuated from Georgia via Moldova, “including former political prisoner Andrii Kolomiyets.”
More people still remain in “difficult” conditions at the Russian-Georgian border, Sybiga said on X.
The treatment of those held at the border facility near the Dariali crossing is “inhumane,” said Maria Belkina, the head of Volunteers Tbilisi.
“They are without basic necessities — food, water, sanitation,” she told AFP, adding that some of the deportees had medical conditions, including suspected tuberculosis and HIV.
Russia may be accelerating deportations ahead of expected changes to Georgian migration laws in September, which are aimed at tightening entries, she added.
While Georgia has not officially closed the border to Ukrainian nationals, Belkina said a recent policy shift has delayed entry.
“Russia is weaponizing the deportation of Ukrainian citizens through Georgia,” Sybiga said, calling on Russia to transport the deportees directly to its border with Ukraine instead.
It was not clear how many people remained in the border facility, which only has 17 beds and no basic amenities and where some have been kept for weeks, according to Volunteers Tbilisi.
Rights groups estimate up to 800 more Ukrainians could be transferred to the border in the coming weeks.
Indian activists take Palestinian solidarity protest into major New Delhi market
- Protesters gathered at Nehru Place to spark greater awareness of Israel’s deadly war on Gaza
- Many ordinary Indians lack knowledge of atrocities unfolding in Gaza, activists say
NEW DELHI: Indian activists gathered for a Palestinian solidarity rally in one of New Delhi’s busiest commercial areas on Saturday, looking to raise public awareness of — and educate citizens on — Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian people.
Though support for Palestinian statehood was once an integral part of Indian foreign policy, the Indian government has moved closer to Tel Aviv in recent years and has largely remained quiet since Israel launched its deadly assault on Gaza in October 2023. New Delhi has been supplying Israeli forces with weapons and signed an agreement to send thousands of workers to Israel to replace their Palestinian counterparts.
Indian civil society and students have taken to the streets in solidarity with Palestinians and protest against the government. On Saturday, protesters carried Palestinian flags, “Free Palestine” posters, and placards that read “Stop the Genocide” in Nehru Place, a prominent commercial hub in the Indian capital, as they sought to engage passersby in conversation and spark awareness of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.
“Coming to a place like this is really an attempt to take the protest (to) ordinary Indians, because it is their hearts and minds that we wish most to access … We want to create consciousness among ordinary Indians,” Harsh Mander, Indian human rights and peace activist, told Arab News.
“There has been a repression of pro-Palestine voices all across Europe and North America, but there has been significant pushback and resistance in other countries. India has not seen that kind of societal pushback to the government’s open complicity with the … Zionist project of the Israeli government,” Mander continued.
Organized by the Indians for Palestine movement, Saturday’s protest moved away from the usual demonstration site of Jantar Mantar in the center of New Delhi. But it was also met with resistance, with some participants becoming the target of harassment from market visitors.
“The choice of Nehru Place as a site was symbolic — an open, public market square frequented by working-class people, students, and office-goers alike. It was meant to reclaim democratic space in a city where protest is now virtually criminalized,” organizers said in a statement. “Despite everything, the message of the gathering remains clear: There are Indians who stand — and will continue to stand — with the people of Palestine.”
Members of Indian civil society are aiming to educate people about the situation in Gaza to counter a lack of awareness, said Pamela Philipose, a journalist and senior fellow at the Indian Council of Social Science Research.
“Let me tell you, almost 90 percent of the people (in Nehru Place) would not have heard about Gaza, and the 10 percent who had would not have known what is happening in Gaza; that people are dying, that people are hungry, that there is a cruel state called Israel that is attacking them … they don’t know any of this,” she told Arab News. ”And this is educating them. A protest is always an education. That’s what we believe.”
Israel has reportedly killed more than 58,700 Palestinians and wounded over 140,000 others since October 2023. The true death toll, though, is feared to be far higher, with research published in The Lancet medical journal in January estimating an underreporting of deaths by 41 percent.
The study adds that the reported death toll does not include deaths caused by starvation, injury and lack of access to health care, caused by the Israeli military’s destruction of most of Gaza’s infrastructure and the blocking of medical and food aid.
“It is extremely important to protest because the atrocities that are going on in Gaza are unprecedented in the history of the world. It is as bad as, if not worse than, what happened in Nazi Germany,” Nandita Narain, a retired professor from Delhi University, told Arab News.
“If we don’t protest today, we have lost our humanity. Humanity can only survive if human beings stand up for each other … India has already suffered colonial rule. We should understand better than everybody else how you must support those who have been subjected to brutal occupation by imperialist powers.”
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